3.4
Quality3.1
Difficulty51%
Would Retake83
Reviews51%
Would Retake
83
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
28
4
16
3
21
2
9
1
9
What Students Say
“If you want to learn and have a clear understanding of this course AVOID HIM”
BIO170 - 3.0 rating“Ciaccio is a great choice, he gives so much extra credit, and gives practice questions that you will always see on the tests (which he lets you correct afterwards for more points)”
BIO170 - 5.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
38%
Textbook Required
41%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.76 avg changeRatings by Course
BIO106
5.0
(2)BIO100
5.0
(1)BIO171
4.2
(5)BIO450
4.0
(1)BIO171L
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
170
4.3
BIO450
4.0
BIO
4.0
BIO205
3.7
BIO170
3.1
Reviews (83)
Good professor. Very easy, helpful, and know his subject.
He's a good guy and everything but I find that he takes too much time on one topic and repeats his lectures a lot. Other than that, good professor.
Prof. Ciacco is a nice guy. he draws alot on the board and not enough notes.. sumtimes it feels like drawing class..he takes forever on a topic but he does make sure u understand it... test is kind of hard...he will let u correct ur mistake and give u hlaf points for it and optional report which recommended to do
REally nice good professor ... do the report that is recommended
He is a great prof.-pay attention to his lectures and you will get everything, test are easy he gives you a chance to makeup for a bad grade def. take ciacco
So far I have him for only a few weeks and everything is going great..... Not boring, hyper and interactive..professor.. Over all thumbs up
Was very easy in Bio171. He would let us work together copy answers and give the work in to get a high grade. Wasnt strict about grading like most Bio professors are.
great prof. helps you with any problem. gives you as many chances as possible for you to pass. 2 tests and a final and two extra credits. THATS IT!!
Listen, I had bad professor for biology so i transfered to this professor only one week before his test, and I got 93 in his exam.the exam wasnt so easy but I studied the notes he gave to the students. plus he gives u half points back if u correct ur mistakes.u will love him i own my knowledge in biology to him. he is the best ever!!!! recommended.
best teacherin CSI! Very helpful and takes the time to really make sure you understand the material. if possible take him for 106/107, it will be worth it, to have the same GREAT teacher for these classses. Once again, a HARD working teacher who is WILLING to HELP you LEARN!!!!
Dr. Ciaccio helps all students to understand the course, helped me a lot and advised me too many times to do my best, the course is dificult but he makes the class enjoyable. NOTE:if you take bio 170 with him, take bio 171 with him too, will help a lot.
He is a good prof and interesting person. He is always there to answer your questions. In the test he would always put some questions he did not cover, but you can correct them and get half points back. 2 extra credits assingm., one will raise your grade by a whole letter. I enjoyed his class and miss him now in bio180
Has his way of teaching that seems confusing but it makes sense in the end. Use book as reference; tests on class notes. 2 Xtra creds. He teaches because he wants students to appreciate bio & not so that he can spew out the info out at lightning speed and then test on it. Really miss him in BIO 180.
one of my absolute favorite professors. everything makes sense when he teaches. he makes the class fun and very interesting. tests only on class notes, but should really get the book. offers extra credit and test corrections. i was scared of taking BIO, now i love it!
He is the best! He knows his stuff and challenges your knowledge - just loved it. Love his teaching skills(awesome). the big picture at the end does make totally sense. No stupid memorization of small little detail(like with chamberlain arrrgh - useless lecturer), he truly wants you to understand and appreciate the science of biology. loved it
Extremely easy class. After an exam he lets you make corrections for half the points. You don't really learn much in the class though. He reiterates the same things over and over again. If we had taken the departmental final we would've been screwed. He gives extra credits with help a lot.
Anyone & everyone who has taken this professor unanimously agree that he is absolutely one of the best. He communicates the subject in a fun & entertaining fashion that is both interesting & extremely educational. Exams (which he believes should be a learning experience themselves) are based off his lectures.
Nice guy. corny and jolly, although irritating at times. lab was easy. take notes during labs and class discussions. although the final was open book, it was stupid and very frustrating. did not give enough time per section.
He loves to teach and really wants you to understand what's going on. He offered help with experiments and is easy to talk to. He doesn't talk down to you like other professors.
I had him for bio lab as a pre-req for nursing classes. He knows his stuff, he is really easy the bio final was open book, he makes wack jokes but is a really nice guy and seems to love biology and his job. I highly recommend him.
Everyone seems to like him he's a funny guy but I have to say I was really disappointed when I took bio 205 with him his notes were all drawings (impossible to study from) and he gave us a syllabus for what to ready yet he asked soooo many evolution questions which is not in the book at all! Or apart of this course description!
The most amazing prof. ever. He curves exams a lot and gives out a lot of extra credit. He is a very jolly person, and you will learn a lot from him
He's a very nice guy. He'll do what he can to help you out. His tests are mostly multiple choice with a couple short answer questions. He'll let you earn half the points you missed when he gives the tests back. He curves the grades, and he gives extra credit. Just take the class semi-seriously and you'll get at least a B
TALKS A LOT BUT GIVE EXTRA CREDIT AND OPPORTUNITY TO PASS THE CLASS.
Very good professor, but he spends most of his time drawing than giving you actual notes you can look back on to study. He offers a lot of extra credit. On a whole he's a great teacher, but he purposely makes his exams hard!
Very good teacher he doesn't have quizzes but he makes the final hard. Other than that he's excellent
All I can say is that my knowledge about The evolution of cells and body system's has increased. He does not Just want you to learn about cells,tissues and organs, he wants you to understand how they developed over the course of evolutionary time which is the foundations for the exams,other then that best CSI bio professor, learned alot take him!!
Wonderful man but very unclear during his lectures. You will have to do ALOT!!!!!!! of studying on your own but he also provides other means to boost your grade. He is very helpful and enthusiastic about the topics. Take him but be prepared to study more for clarification.
Very good teacher, gives many chances for you to pass the class,his lectures are mostly pictures and not so much terms but still helps you understand whats going on
Awesome professor. Definitely recommend him. However, I feel like since I am a Bio nerd, it makes this class a whole lot easier. This is not a "read from the textbook and memorize class!" You have to think and apply what you learned to the tests! Still love it :)
I do not recommend him! He teaches as if he is teaching to a bunch of nine year old kids. Hell be trying to make one point and totally make a left turn into no mans land. He gets completely off topic, leaving you wondering what the hell did I learn this class? If you want to learn and have a clear understanding of this course AVOID HIM
hes funny and try to make the class interesting.His exams are really hard , you have to read the textbook. tough grader!
He hasn't given a A to his students in the 44 years he's been teaching, so if you're looking for an A in this class don't take him! He teaches using pictures and exams are extremely hard! Would not recommend him.
Yes, his exams are hard because the questions ain't directly come from his teaching. You have to read the book yourself and can do correction to get half of the points. His class is fun that you can learn a lot. He has given a A to his students actually. He just said no one could ever got a 100.
One of the nicest and friendliest proffesors. Offers test corrections for half credit and 2 extra credit assignments. His test are tough but you have to attend every lecture and pay attention.
Professor ciaccio is a great professor. He is funny and very enthusiastic about the field of biology. His notes could be better but he tells what to expect on each exam. He gave 2 exams and a optional 3rd one. He lets you make corrections and if you have any questions he has no problem to sit with you after class and help you the best he can.
Lectures aren't clear; he doesn't focus and explain topics thoroughly. Exams are extremely difficult. Some topics that were on the final were not covered in class. Overall, would not take this professor ever again.
Doesn't explain the subject clearly;used drawings to teach instead of notes. Tests were difficult, didm't understand what the questions are asking for. Some topics on the final exam weren't covered in class.
I think he was an easy professor. Don't take him if you really want to learn Biology by the textbook because he teaches Bio in his own unique way. He skips around the textbook. He links Bio to what is happening in the real world. You wouldn't need to read the textbook if you pay attention to his lectures. He allows test corrections
When I transferred to CSI they put me in this BIO class not knowing I didn't need it. I hate BIO but overall the class wasn't bad. You need to pass the tests but he gives them back to you to do the corrections. He's really nice. He writes everything on the board but has really horrible handwriting so you need to sit in the front.
The class was hard, but he made it fun and easy. His tests were a bit confusing. You must know the material to get a good grade on them.
I'm not going to try and bad mouth a 71 year old man that has been doing this longer than i have been alive. should truly only be taken if you LOVE science with all your heart and have previous knowledge of science. BIO 170 was what i took freshman year and i hate science.. Although he gives extra credit, it's still not a good idea to chance it.
It is not like a typical lab class. He talked for an hour in a half and then we started the lab. We did not finish the lab all of the time. We had to have a notebook, which was 1/3 of our grade, and write out each step. No questions and I had no idea what any of the labs were about and so did my group. I would not recommend unless you want a C.
I loved this professor. I'm really not the best at biology, but his class was really easy to follow. His final was a little hard in my opinion and I don't think I did the best, but I still wound up with a pretty good grade overall in his class. I definitely recommend taking him.
Very funny and sweet old man! He gives great lectures and don't just teach from the texts book! Gives fun extra credits that will help you learn about biology. Would take again if he has teaches any classes that I need to take.
Very nice and understanding man; however, his teaching style was just not effective in my opinion. Wish his methods were more organized.
I would not recommend him to anyone who doesn't really know biology right away. He's all over the place with lectures and we started learning chemistry first and after the first test he moved into biology, which I didn't like. He's funny and stuff, but he teaches as if he's teaching younger kids. Just study on your own!!!
PROFESSOR CIACCIO IS A GREAT PROFESSOR, HE'S AN OLDER MAN WHO KNOWS HIS STUFF. HE BELIEVES IN SECOND CHANCES AND WANTS HIS STUDENTS TO PASS, HE'S FORGIVING BUT DON'T TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HIM. HE ALLOWS TEST CORRECTIONS FOR ALL EXAMS, DOESN'T GIVE HOMEWORK. ALSO HES VERY FUNNY, YOU WILL HEAR A LOT ABOUT HIS IN LAWS. WOULD TAKE HIM AGAIN.
Get ready for the in law jokes.
Ciaccio is quite the joker all though his joking material may not be for everyone. Class is enjoyable and he gives out study sheets. My only problem is, the sample test questions he provides sometimes seem to be a bit from left-field. You get one thing and on the test its another. It's Biology so studying is mandatory.
He is a very nice and funny man with a very creative teaching style. You have to pay attention to everything he says and writes on the board. For the midterms, practice the questions he gives out. They are VERY useful and also go through your notes. For the finals, I strongly recommend you read the textbook extensively. You may find it helpful.
Professor Ciaccio is nice professor and he knows his materials. The only downside I had from taking his class was that he was all over the place, I appreciated the diagrams that he drew on the board but that wasn't enough to understand the materials. He is willing to help you pass if you put your part in, overall I wouldn't take him again!
He is all over the place. Yea he tries different ways to explain everything but it just confuses everyone with his unclear diagrams. He lets you redo test questions for half credit but its hard to find the right answers. Goodluck!
Professor Ciaccio is amazing. He's been in this profession for a very long time and it's quite clear that he's passionate not only about the subject matter, but also about the success of his students. His lectures are inspirational with an added touch of humor, which is refreshing. Tests are challenging, but fairly so. Study hard and enjoy!
Ciacco is very passionate about his material, but the class has its cons. Lectures are hard to follow; it's as if you should have already known the material. All the notes consist of diagrams that are not understandable. You're pretty much on your own. He does give you a chance to get a better score on exams, and offers extra credit.
Great professor! take him if you can for bio171 lab. Easy A.
Prof. Ciaccio is a great choice, he gives so much extra credit, and gives practice questions that you will always see on the tests (which he lets you correct afterwards for more points). He's always making in-law jokes, but his lectures are very good. Notes on the board aren't too clear, but practice his questions and do the extra credit for an A.
Professor Ciaccio is a great professor, you can see he actually has a passion to teach. Just make sure to pay attention in his class and read about the topics he will teach that way the diagrams makes more sense to you. He gives a lot of extra credit and he helps a lot to make sure you get an A.
Professor Ciacco takes a little using to, but overall a good professor. He does not write good notes on the board, so I suggest you record him. Cares about his students and gives a lot of extra credit. His exams are just like his practice questions and allows corrections to bring up your exam grade by a lot. He loves participation.
Dr. Ciaccio is one for the books. He doesn't exactly write bulleted notes, he draws on the board but explains everything in great depth and is more than willing to repeat himself. He encourages study groups and his exams are just like the outlines he gives. He is super understanding and the best science teacher I've ever had.
He is a nice teacher but during lectures he doesn't write on the board, he draws instead and explains it somewhat thoroughly. He is very understanding and has funny jokes throughout the lecture. If you're not good at copying notes then you will get lost easily and will need to purchase the textbook
Great professor and person. I recommend taking him if you have a good background on Bio from high school. He does not post slides and does not write notes . . . You definitely need the book to do good on exams. Gives review sheets (theyre similar to the exams). To do good in this class self study is MUST.
I took his class last semester and I enjoyed Ciaccio's sense of humor he provides especially with his "in law" jokes. He provides lots of extra credit with optional essays and test corrections. His class was difficult and was all over the place which led to me struggling on the exams; so I recommend you take them right away to get an A or B.
He's somewhat funny. He allows for test corrections and gives extra credits on exams. However, he doesn't post any slides online for you to review, he doesn't write notes, he'll just draw a LOT of confusing diagrams. The textbook is a MUST. This is a hard professor, wouldn't recommend him to anyone to be completely honest.
Dr. Ciaccio is a very passionate professor. He will draw many diagrams which can be confusing, however once you get the hang of his class structure it gets easier. He provides numerous opportunities for extra credit which will bring your grades up by a log, guaranteed. He is one of the most knowledgeable, passionate science teachers Ive ever had
Loves drawing, if you think you are taking his course for bio you are actually just taking his class to learn how to draw cells and structures. Doesn't write notes only draws and makes arrows. Gives you a question sheet for review for exam but no answers so you will never know if you are right or wrong which completely defeats the purpose. Good luk
He is a great guy and super funny. Although his lectures are kinda hard to understand he draws things on the board and I don't know what anything is or cant read it. Gives review questions but i have no idea what is going on. Good thing is he does test corrections to get half the credit back and 2 easy extra credit. Take if you know bio chem.
Honestly he is the worst science prof ever. I have nothing against the guy himself but it's just his way of teaching is so bad. He doesn't teach bio, he doesn't right notes, he doesn't post slides, he doesn't explain exam question. He is not helpful whatsoever. The only thing good about this class is exam corrections. Google is the way to go. GL
Professor Ciaccio is an amazing Professor and if anyone is looking to sign up for his class I would 100% recommend taking his class because this man is an amazing person and an amazing teacher. Youll get an A if you put effort in and with the amount of extra credit he gives.
Run! That all I have to say. Try to get any professor if you can. Really bad at teaching and his test question are impossible. He is really sweet and tries to help as much as he can but his help is useless. DO NOT TAKE HIM!!!!
He gives you practice problems but does not give out correct answers. He has bad time management. He doesn't pace his lectures well. He gives 2 extra credit that are 5 points towards your final grade. But get ready to do ALOT of self studying because this man does not teach well. Run if you can and find another professor.
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS WITH THIS PROFESSOR! I RECOMMEND TO TAKE LITERALLY ANYBODY ELSE. Ciaccio gives 3 tests the whole semester, no assignment, homework, quizzes, or ANYTHING to boost your grade on his impossible tests. He gives great extra credit but that does not help when you get 60s on tests. DO NOT TAKE! DO NOT TAKE! DO NOT TAKE! STAY AWAY.
He gives 3 exams (last one is optional) and a final exam by the department. I strongly suggest do the extra credits especially the first one. I like how he lets you do corrections to get half points back on exams. Be prepare to do a lot of reading on your own or study with others. This class is not an easy A.
WORSE PROFESSOR EVER!!! doesn't know how to teach or even use the computer. We only have one midterm and thats you grade. TERRIBLE TEACHER!!!!!
Lets start with he knows the material but not how to communicate it. Hes passionate but his lectures have no flow to them. ur only graded on 3 test there are test corrections for half the points back. he doesn't take attendance but does record his lectures (when someone reminds him). be sure to study more than just rewatching class lectures. study!
I havent learned one thing all year and he only assigns you three assignments which are three exams. So if you fail an exam your pretty much screwed.
If you take him, I recommend having patience with him. he is very understanding and the extra credits matter a lot. Super understanding and has great bio jokes.
he only gives 3 exams all semester no homeworks he has extra credit which is helpful. he is very old so he suffers using technology and barley answers any emails. he's is caring and nice though. just not as a professor who teaches 80+ students at a time
Really nice person however not the best at teaching. Lectures are boring and involve him talking and writing notes on the screen. In order to do good in this class, it is important to pay attention, which is hard since he is not very engaging. He did record the lectures when students asked. Graded only on 3 tests and extra credit.
he is the best professor that I have ever had this semester he gives extra credits and cares for his student. thank you professor for your help and for making the lecture easy to understand
Ciaccio is nice and respectful. Graded on 3 exams w essays and gives extra credit. Only thing is, he doesn't know how to work a computer; It brought my grade down, because he couldn't find essays I had sent to him.
Ciaccio was a sweetheart he is so nice. He does only give three exams the whole semester but they aren't that hard. As long as you study you will be fine. His lectures are kind of boring but he tries his best to make it interesting.
Ciaccio is the man. Took him back in 2013 and am finishing up a doctorate in biology now, started with him. He doesn't use traditional approaches used in textbooks but makes you connect dots, all while using (harmless) humor from 1965. Like most classes at CSI, it isn't hard if you just study for a couple hours.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
38%
Textbook Required
41%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.76 avg changeRatings by Course
BIO106
5.0
(2)BIO100
5.0
(1)BIO171
4.2
(5)BIO450
4.0
(1)BIO171L
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
170
4.3
BIO450
4.0
BIO
4.0
BIO205
3.7
BIO170
3.1