2.5
Quality3.6
Difficulty27%
Would Retake264
Reviews27%
Would Retake
264
Reviews
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5
31
4
42
3
55
2
59
1
77
What Students Say
“Do your best to memorize the lab manuals and lecture slides for the two exams, since they can get highly specific”
BIOLOGY173 - 5.0 rating“Learn the lectures & lab manuals well”
BIO173 - 4.0 ratingClass Info
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Reviews (264)
He was very detailed but asked extremely hard exam questions.
great teacher, but very difficult course.
Very Hard Course. Difficult material.
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Very witty guy. You can tell he loves to teach and loves Bio. Exams were killer though.
Teaches from outline available on web. . .very good for covering such a large and diverse subject area like intro bio
My first experience with Dr. Ammerlaan was in IntroBio 162 in 2001, in which I felt he did an excellent job in teaching a thorough introductory biology course. As the lab coordinator for Microbio, I feel he does a good job in helping his students.
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doesn't know how to stress what's important...makes the exams a lot harder than they need to be
Purposely teaches above the students' level.
Incredibly knowledgeable, but has his head up his ass. Notes are unclear, Test questions are vague and ask student to extrapolate more information than provided with. Does not know how to teach at student's appropriate level.
This is the worst class ever. Ammerlan goes way too much in depth for non Bio majors and his exams are ridiculously hard. He comes up with the most random questions and asks you things not in his notes. DONT TAKE THIS CLASS!!!!
This class was kinda tough for a non-science major class, but I didn't think it was too horrible. The topics were very interesting, but the exams were hella tough.
Made the class ridiculously hard for non-bio majors. He obvioulsy knows a lot about the subject matter, but doesn't know how to organize it and is very scattered. Exams were hard and you had to interpret his questions to get the right answer. Discussion section was pointless as we gave presentations over the books we read. No textbook to reference.
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The class was challenging for non-bio majors, but not impossible and he mixed the science and social aspects of disease really well. The hardest part dealt with DNA but it was worth studying the extra 35 minutes a week.
Even as a non-science major, I enjoyed the class and thought that he presented the topic in a clear manner.
Bio 118 was a really fun class as long as you went in with the right attitude, but a lot of students enrolled in it solely because they were looking for an easy way to take care of their NS requirement. Needless to say, those students performed poorly and whined about it here. Ammerlaan's lectures were a bit dry, but they were always very clear.
"My uniquename is mcammer. Haha. Get it. M-c-ammer" Moron, and awful microbio teacher. He didn't have a clue to what he was doing. Dunlap is so much better. I am pissed Dunlap when on sabbatical and left this dolt to do the Bio 207 last year. Worst idea ever. Leave the intro people at the 100-level classes please.
teacher sucks, class sucks... the worst ever. nonsense
interesting class, not too much homework, prof was good and knowledgeable about the subject! we never really used the books though
Loved this class
do not take bio 118 with him unless you hate your life. Bio 118 is supposed to be for non biology majors but he rams everything about everything and nothing you actually need to know down your throat. People who were biology majors had to look up information for the exams in their other bio textbooks. and that ain't right.
The worst professor I have had at UofM, tests are not clear, class average low for intro class, puts no effort into his teaching, lectures are incredibly boring, and he does not know the material beyond what is in the book.
If you want to teach your self everything and work on your own than you will be allright. But if you are like me and expect your professor to teach than this professor is not for you. I slept during every lacture. Hard to concentrate, teaching is not very good. I am a good student but i did bad in this class.
He's pretty tough, but he is such a cool person! He's funny and he cares about his students.
great class!! he is so funny and is willing to help you out, even if you know nothing.. interesting and fun!
Very knowledgable and intelligent professor who is willing to help. However, his tests are very difficult and detailed. Record his lectures and read the book several times! Many of the short anwers ?s come from his lecture stuff which isn't in the book. His lectures are funny, and even entertaining if you like bio. Good luck, and study hard!
Hardest lab lecture you will ever have, and its only an intro bio lab...
He explains everything really well, if you even listen half way. And his advice on all things bio is great, even outside of the class he is teaching.
The grading for this class was extremely hard and not fair.
Good Intro Bio class. Makes sure that you are learning, and keeps it from becoming a blow-off. Knows what he is talking about, if you pay attention to lecture and try to understand what's happening in the labs you'll do fine. Exams are detail-oriented, though, and that makes them a bit hard. You'll need to study for them. Great teacher, though.
Take this class if you want to get a low grade in a LAB. Mr. Ammerlaan sometimes does not know what he is talking about and often time gives assignments that are harder than many upper level science courses that I have taken. The work and grading is ridiculously strict, and not many people do well.
This class was such a big waste of time. It is impossible to get a good grade on the exams, and like the poster below said, this is only a lab! Poor teaching and organization is the reason this class was horrible. Not to mention the exams that set you up to fail.
This is without doubt the most worthless class I have ever taken. The labs are a complete joke, you spend an hour waiting for supplies and 15 min doing experiments. The assignments are basically just busywork. I've learned nothing in this class I didn't already know. I got a 5 on the AP so why should I waste my time in this lab?!?
Kind of a useless lab with busy work--2 papers and 2 group presentations. No lab manual and lab lectures aren't necessarily important. He had an interesting personality and showed knowledge of the labs, but overall it's just another one of those labs you have to sit through.
He's a really funny guy and lecture is interesting. Lab wasn't bad, except the papers and presentations required a ridiculous amount of work. It was insane. However, the rest of the time we don't have to do much. Experiments were okay.. we got out early a lot of the time. The quizzes really weren't that bad and the last one had bonus on it.
I don't know why he has such a low rating because I liked him. His tests were fair and the labs were entertaining and they helped to learn the material. He is pretty funny as well. I would say if you have to take this class, take it with him.
The lab itself was not too bad,my GSI told us what to do and we got out early every time.Papers were graded pretty harshly though, showing your GSI a rough draft is suggested.Presentations were pretty easy but time cnosuming to make.Lecture quizzes were quite hard, you had to remember basically every substance you worked with and why it was used.
Labs are a joke, you always get out early and you hardly do anything worthwhile. The presentations were easy (but it takes up a lot of time to analyze the data and makes tedious graphs). The quizzes are RIDICULOUS, I suggest you really study every word he says in lecture. Our average was 14/25 on the first one. Overall, wish he wasn't teaching!
Dr. Ammerlaan talks a lot. But it's not very useful information. Labs are easy, usually take only 45-60 minutes most weeks to complete. Presentations are time consuming; papers are even worse. Quizzes are difficult, but they get curved a bit.
I don't know how hard his quizes are yet, but this guy is adorable. Couple days ago, he was filling in for our GSI and everyone was scared at first, but he turned out to be SOO helpful and nice. He is cool and funny, and you must be crazy to miss his great lectures.They are informative and actually helpful in lab which i couldn't say about chem 125
I don't know this guy is still a lecturer. Great guy, and loves what he does. Although I wasn't too happy about sticking a que tip ... well those who took the class know what I mean. But great overall.
His lecutures are an enormous waste of time because he rambles on subject matter not related to the class. I never went and still got an A. Just study for his quizzes (his questions are really unclear and vague), and you need to give yourself time to write the papers. The class is pretty easy though.
Only went to roughly 5 lectures throughout the semester. The material is pretty bland, but Marcus is a pretty helpful guy.
Very ridiculously strict grading policy, not a good class to take unless you need to, really shows the flaws of a big public university like Michigan, joke class overall with no purpose
Funny guy, ok lectures. Hard first quiz.
hes a nice guy, going to lab lecture is pointless, the quizzes are okay, the papers are a nightmare
Horrible Professor and Horrible Class. Doesn't explain anything and has horrible grading policy. Essays are complicated and directions are vague. Quiz questions are wordy and broad - he wants specific answer.
Really bad class. Will teach you nothing new yet you'll have too much work for a 2 credit class. He talks too much during lecture and most of what he says is completely unnecessary. Grading is very hard.
Nice guy, good at explaining things in lecture. Helpful when people asked questions. If you have taken AP Bio you will not learn anything new and I'm not sure why we have to take this lab, but whatever. A lot of work for just a 2 credit class. Make sure you do the reading before every lab because lab checks ask odd, obscure questions.
Lots of work for two credits (2 papers, 2 presentations, 2 exams, and quizzes). Lecture is boring and unnecessary; professor talks too much. Exam questions are too vague. On the bright side lab usually ends early. If it's not a requirement for your major, don't take the class!
Marc has high expectations of his students. Bio 173 starts out very easy, but beware, the semester is back-loaded with quizzes, presentations, and papers. Marc is a relatively good instructor, and he expects you to thoroughly grasps concepts he teaches. He also stares at the floor while he lectures, which really bothered me.
Lectures lack depth and clarity, yet he expects you to understand and apply concepts beyond scope of class on exams. Grading is much harder than it should be. Almost no points in the class, so grading screws you over. Exams are vague and ambiguous, making them very hard.
Grading policy is horrible. You get screwed over if your groups are bad for the presentations. Lecture material is at best remotely relevant to content on exams. Exam questions are vague, poorly worded, yet he wants specific questions. Class is way too hard for a 2 credit intro lab. Doesn't care about students...
Ammerlaan was a horrible professor. There was a ton of work to this 2 credit lab. Quizzes, which are worth a lot of your grade, are unfair. The questions are tricky, and he expects specific answers to his vague questions. All the work is toward the end of the semester so be prepared. Lecture is useless. Don't take him if you don't have to!
Surprisingly decent, given all the previous ratings. Good lecturer, but "quizzes" (exams) are pretty difficult. Labs are decent, with not too much outside work. Interesting to apply some actual techniques I learned about in other classes - but lectures were basically a repeat of 171/172 with some specific protocol details.
Comments also apply to BIO 207: He's hilarious, approachable, clear but not understanding. Read the book for help but be very familiar with his notes and concepts - that's what he tests. Lab was a joke but fun! Always study for lab checks - grading's tight and you need all the points you can get. Start papers early and/or show your GSI your draft.
Way too hard for a 2-credit lab. You don't really need to go to lecture, just read the lab guide. The essays are really hard.
This class is unclear and biased.
Terrible class!! He is very unclear and does not seem to know what is going on. Grading scale is stupid and the material is lame.
Terrible lab. Graded very unfairly. Very difficult and unclear in what he wanted out of essays and his "quizzes" AKA impossible exams. Attending class is a complete waste of time and has no effect on determining your final grade.
Lecture is useless and irrelevant to quizzes, which are extremely difficult. None of the GSI's know what's going on during lab, and overall the class is very frustrating
The quizzes were way too hard compared to what we were taught. The lectures were boring because the subject is boring, and everyone has learned this stuff before. The papers are also graded really harshly
Marc is a terrible instructor. I honestly question his biology knowledge. This is made worse by his cocky attitude. Overall the course is a waste of time. The 'experiments' are either really obvious or just plain stupid. The other assignments are a waste as well. The presentations are alright, but the two papers are just difficult busywork.
The quizzes were way too hard for what we were learning, and the papers usually didn't make sense either. There was no point to the class, and going to the lecture doesn't help.
Horrible class, and the material on the quizzes has nothing to do with the lectures. Horrible grading system also, so few points in class that if you miss more than 20 points on anything the whole semester, you can't even get an A-.
Ammerlaan is terrible!! The course is poorly run, the GSI doesn't know what he's doing, the experiments are utterly pointless, and the grading is so unfair that you'll find yourself counting points you've missed on homework assignments just to see what you will end up with in the class. It's a shame that this class is required for bio/life sciences
Marc isn't interested in the class, just sits and lectures while drinking mt. dew and doesn't care. You'd think if it's hard go ask him, right? The first lecture, he said make sure you only go to your GSI because there are too many kids for me to want to help. No wonder so many kids hate this useless class.
Not the best lecturer, but it actually is important to go to lecture- although what he says may not help u know what to do in lab, he does provide answers to questions u'll see on prelabs and exams.Notice those who didn't go to lecure also said the exams were hard. Utilize your resources, go to lecture. NOT a blow off. gsi dependent. study 4 exams!
I found lecture to be super useLESSS. sometimes he would write on a tiny board and half the class didnt even realize it. overall the class was easy and the quizes were not bad. every point counts. i know the gsi i had was hard to understand so i had to teach myself everything. experiments are pointless, nothing a book cant teach us.
This lab is useless, but a requirement for many. Marc is vague and unhelpful. Going to lecture doesn't hurt, but he usually just reads his online notes. Everything depends on the GSIs, so try to get to know yours. There are 2 papers (time-consuming, but not terrible) and 2 'quizzes.' The quizzes are difficult and unfairly graded. NOT an easy A.
Bio lab, it was mandatory for me. Does not care at all about the students. I went to his office hours with a couple of students and he was not there at all. If you know bio and know how to study, the class is a piece of cake, otherwise prepare to spend a lot of time and get ready for frustration (group projects are grade killer).
The only reason I am commenting is to let people know that this class is NOT hard. Ammerlan sucks, he doesn't really teach, but if you have half a brain and put some effort into class (which i'm assuming most reviewers did not) it is an easy B for sure, an A is definitely not out of reach if you are careful.
This class is not hard. Prof Ammerlaan isn't the best teacher, but it doesnt matter for this class. Your GSI account for a majority of your class points. Definitely recommend taking it in the Spring - Ammerlaan is in a much better mood, even he admits so.
Ammerlaan doesn't care. It's that simple. I remember sending him multiple emails, asking for help, and he ignored them. During one lecture, he had the Michigan basketball game playing in the corner. Really dude? He didn't teach the material, and then I got a C on my lab report. Thanks. Make sure you have a good GSI, they determine your grade.
This class keeps you busy. In my opinion, it's not worth 2 credits, an A isn't impossible, but you have to be on your game with little points. If you lose 20, you're getting a B+. I hardly attend lecture and is currently getting a B. The papers take time, so don't procrastinate!
Just to clarify that the topics discussed in class are not hard, and Professor Ammerlaan thoroughly goes over each topic. The quizzes do correlate with material discussed in lecture. However, the class is difficult because so few points are rewarded. The class is graded solely based on GSI's, so make sure you get a good one!
I was well prepared (5 on AP test), and I got an A. I talked to Marc and my GSI before the papers and quizzes and found Marc to be very helpful. Ask him questions and discuss the material. Quizzes are hard, but if you start studying early and go to lecture, they aren't too bad. Lecture might not seem relevant to the lab, but it helps for quizzes.
For all the people who are whining about his quizzes: suck it up, this is college. People complain about them because they test critical thinking rather than route memorization. People complain about how time-consuming the class. Those people obviously cannot manage their time. Lastly, the grading has to be tight because this is a pre-med class.
Dr. Ammerlaan is extremely unprofessional. The class is taught fairly, except grading is dependent entirely on your GSI. Dr. Ammerlaan will not answer your e-mails and he does not care about you, so do not try to get in touch with him. If you try hard you should do fine, but if you run into any snags do not expect any help from Ammerlaan.
GSI is a big part in determining your grade, get a good GSI, ask questions and make sure you understand the expectations of assignments. Quizzes test critical thinking so you have to know how to apply concepts from class, not just regurgitate info. Go to lecture, start assignments early and ask questions and you'll be fine.
This class is one of those stupid arbitrary classes where grade is not always directly correlated with ability or knowledge and more on if you say the right words kind of thing. That said, Ammerlaan is very clear when he speaks which I appreciate. Grading is a straight scale so don't expect much leeway.
Ammerlaan is extremely difficult to get in contact with. He is unclear about his expectations and doesn't actually teach in lecture. Refrain from taking unless necessary
MCAmmer is a smart, nice guy who likes bio. His lectures are to the point and he's really clear in his explanations. You don't even need to take notes because he posts the notes from his lectures online. Grading is on a straight scale and seems really straight forward, however it's actually quite ambiguous because so much is left up to the GSI's.
Here's the 411 on BIO 173. Ammerlaan is a great dude, very personable, humorous, and is very thorough with explaining. Regardless of what some people have said, he does care about people, clarifies everything and any problems students may have. BUT, it is also true that the grade is very much dependent on your GSI. Nonetheless, GSI's were awesome!
I thought he was interesting and reasonable. I honestly enjoyed his lectures. The lab didn't have much work either, so overall he was a pretty good professsor
His lectures were clear and he always included background information on the material so you understand it. I don't know why he has such a low rating, because he's a good professor. The grading, however, depends primarily on your GSIs.
Ammerlaan is very hard to get in contact with, and doesn't seem like he really has an interest or care for his students. At times he seems very condescending. The course material is not very difficult,but for a 2 credit intro course it is more work than I expected.
Funny and very helpful in office hours. Lectures are a bit unnecessary but he's a good lecturer for what it's worth. Sometimes he comes around and visits the labs and talks to you during lab, which was cool. Good overall.
If you are the type of person that would like a structured course where your grade does not depend on an undergraduate TA teaching the lab, AVOID AT ALL COST! There are quizes due every week and the GSIs are a real pain in the behind in grading them. Basically, if you want to ruin your GPA by taking an unnecessary class, then go ahead and register!
Ammerlaan is a nice guy and funny, but the grading scale in 173 is pretty VERY strict. A lot of work for a two-credit lab. Strong point is that he's very clear in the lectures.
Your grade is dependent on your GSI so try to get one that speaks english. However, the quizes are all doable. Go to his office hours, he is very helpful. An A is doable if work hard and start papers in advance. And it is a lot of work for 2 credits. He is very clear in lecture so it is helpful and some questions do appear on the quiz.
While Ammerlaan isn't the best lecturer, the info in lecture actually does help with the quizzes and presentations. The concepts you cover and the lab itself aren't too tough, but your grade is really, really dependent on your GSI, so try to get a decent one if you can. Try to go to your GSI's office hours before the papers/presentations are due.
A teacher that actually cares about teaching students. However, you must actually learn the concepts. If you are unwilling to put in the time to do this, then you will not do well; in this class or in any later class/science career. You get out what you put in. Really, the material is quite easy. Just don't be lazy.
He is really cool, he led my lab once instead of my GSI and he is really down to earth and funny and loves to teach.
Does not respond to email. Very unhelpful. Way too hard to be 2 credits
He definitely wasn't a very nice guy. He made weird comments during lecture, and I'm not sure if they were meant to be funny or just plain mean. Either way, this class is waaay too much work for a 2 credit class.
He is an awesome guy, pretty cool and down to earth. He made this lab so simple; do your work, study a little for those quizzes and you're good to go. He's crystal clear, really nice, funny and sweet :)
To be honest this class all depends on your GSI because they are the ones that grade everything. Mine was awesome and I didn't go to lecture one time the whole semester and ended up with an A. Prof Ammerlaan posts all his lectures and his completed notes on blue review so the lecture really is a huge waste of time. Easy class
He's not a very helpful professor and the lectures were not beneficial. He's very rude and impatient in office hours and does not respond to emails very quickly. My GSI however was way more helpful.
He really has nothing to do with the class. He lectures once a week, but the GSI explains the labs and grades your stuff. Some GSIs explain material well, some grade easy, and some don't. Ammerlaan doesn't monitor the GSI's at all and doesn't respond to student emails. I had a bad GSI so the class was hard and unenjoyable for me.
Dr. Ammerlaan was an alright professor. He knew what he was talking about when it came to biology, but his quizzes and pre-labs were worded poorly. Your grade in this class is heavily dependent on your GSI and it's true that it's a lot of work for two credits. You also have a quiz, paper, and presentation due all in the two weeks before finals.
The course isn't hard but the work load is way more than a 2-credit course. Ammerlaan was pretty clear but his quizzes were hard.
Ammerlaan seems to have good intentions, but this class is very disorganized. How well you do in the class is mostly based on luck...that is, how easy/hard does your GSI grade. Quizzes are really hard and you will never know how to prepare.
Very long winded lecturer. This course entails 2 in-class quizzes, 2 papers, & 2 presentations. It is too much work for a 2 credit class in all honesty. Your grade relies heavily upon your GSI so you best hope you get a good one. The lab exercises themselves are not difficult but it's the papers & presentations that can really bite you.
Overall, Ammerlaan is very condescending. The course is entirely determined by who your GSI is, and mine was one of the worst instructors i've ever had. The quizzes are graded unfairly (although your answer may be correct, you have to include wording identical to the rubric), and if you're stuck with a bad GSI, your grade barely gets curved.
Ammerlaan's lectures are long-winded and a huge time suck. I never felt like I missed out when I skipped class because all of his lecture notes are online. Your grade in the course depends entirely on the GSI, so there's not really a good way to standardize the entire class.
Ammerlaan literally doesn't do anything. This class is 100% dependent on your GSI so just pray for the best! But seriously the GSI situation will either make or break your experience in this class...
Ammerlaan doesn't really do anything. Your experience with the class is totally dependent on your GSI. Grading is very subjective. That is why you will hear different things from different people.
Unfortunately this class can be good or bad depending on your GSI. My GSI was a cool guy, but graded extremely hard. I had to do more work than any of my other 4 credit classes to get the grade I got. The material covered in the class, however, is simple.
Like literally everyone else said, it depends on your GSI. His quizzes are rough so review notes (going to lecture helps) and take practice quizzes. He's pretty good about answering questions if you go see him. And he tried to console those of us with hard GSI's saying he would curve but I don't think it actually happened.
I honestly don't get why people are making a big deal out of this class. It's BARELY any work, quizzes are so fair, the professor is really cool and chill. I don't get what the big deal is lol. should be an A if you work for it like you should be working. it's college.
You will hear mixed reviews about this class because everything depends on your GSI. Marc doesn't really monitor them. I had a terrible experience. Grading was all subjective and differed a lot by section. I spent so much time on a paper to get a terrible grade on it, when people in other sections got higher grades doing them at the last minute.
It is so true that it depends on your GSI. This class is really poorly structured, it's only out of 200 points and it's so hard to do well because you simply don't have any points to work with. He expects you to go in-depth in the quiz answers so make sure you do that. Overall not the best
It probably does depend a lot on which GSI you get. I liked my GSI a lot even though she was really tough on grading papers. The quizzes are pretty difficult but manageable. Overall, it may feel like too much work considering it's a 2-credit class, but I don't think it's super hard to get at least an A-. Be sure you READ and UNDERSTAND.
Although Prof. Ammerlaan was an okay lecturer, the grade depends on the GSI. I personally had an awful experience; my GSI barely spoke English, messed up the demonstration of the lab half the time, and graded harshly then couldn't explain why she took the points off in the first place. Ridiculously time-consuming class, especially for 2 credits.
Again, all dependent on your GSI. My experience was miserable. My GSI was very demeaning, disrespectful, and subjective in his grading. I don't understand why there is no uniform grading procedure or anything to make things fair. Although Marc said that they do consider those sections with harder GSIs, my observation is that in reality they don't.
The class was disorganized and really does depend on your GSI. It was way too much work for a 2 credit class and the tests were overly difficult and confusing for no reason. Find practice quizzes on the internet or from a friend because he doesn't give them. His lecture were okay, but it seems like he wanted people to magically know information
People give Ammerlaan a hard time, but if you show you care he will help you out and steer you in the right direction to get an A. He knows his stuff and doesn't want to waste your time. If you don't care about his material, he won't care about you. But if you do care, he's really there to help.
Ammerlan gives way more work than a normal 2 credit class. Two essays, two presentations, and two "quizzes". You really need to study to do well on the quizzes because he tests for understanding (i.e apply course concepts to a situation) rather than memorization. Grade depends on the GSI, but he balances out the GSI averages at the end so its fair
This is more a review of the class than the professor, as he's not too involved in the actual lab. The pre-lab assignments were ridiculous. I'd work for an hour on each of these stupid assignments and always get a point off, and they add up. The quizzes and essays are tough, and you really have to go balls out to get an A.
This class is horrible. It all depends on your GSI. Mine was very disrespectful and unhelpful. Grading was very subjective. I started papers early and got lower scores than those who started the night before. The quizzes were tough and there are no study aids. The same level of understanding in two people can lead to two very different grades.
Nothing to say. DO NOT TAKE GENETICS WITH THIS GUY. EVER. He will write you questions on obscure terms that he's never said once in his lectures.
Ammerlaan doesn't reply to emails, even the day before the exam. His lectures are confusing and he has a poor teaching style. His tests expect you to have memorized everything he said even if it's not in the notes or the books.
He doesn't enjoy teaching and its very obvious with the way he treats the class and the students. He's not an expert on the material himself, which makes it hard to learn anything from him. Wouldn't reccomend at all
He lectures for the Bio173 Lab and just posts an outline of what is he going to talk about. Definitely take good notes because there is no blue review. Labs are not too hard to follow, but the papers are longconfusing and he expects a lot of applied thinking on the tests.
You better pay attention in the lab and be able to apply the concepts to the specific proteins and enzymes you're working with. On quizzes, you are expected to read new information and fill in which enzymes from your labs would have had the specific effect on the new substance.
His lectures are kinda bland, pretty much just reads off the notes that he posts. Quizzes, however are pretty difficult, he uses applied concepts rather than memorizing facts. Papers are kind of ridiculous. Some of the articles he uses are way over students heads to grasp, let alone write about. Seems like a little too much work for a 2-cred. class
Very confusing class. He is not a very structured guy. Exams and papers are difficult. I still wonder why this class is so much work. 2 exams, 2 papers, pre-labs, 2 presentations. Horrible class.
Way too much work for 2 credits. You do nothing for the first six weeks and the class goes from 0 to 10000 in about 2 days. The quizzes are ridiculous and the papers are not much better.
This class is way too difficult for a two-credit class. The quizzes were difficult and Ammerlaan even said that he thought he worded the questions poorly. How can you expect a class to do well when the professor writes bad questions? Beyond that, the evolution paper you have to write is complicated and poorly explained in lecture.
Dr. Ammerlaan knows a lot about Biology, but you can tell that he does not really enjoy teaching Bio 173. The lab is far too difficult for a two credit course. If you pay attention to lectures, they are useful but not essential to doing well in the class. With all of this said, your GSI determines your grade.
His class was out of 200 points, so every point off was .5% of the grade. It's easy to lose points in this class, and most of the grade comes from six assessments that are closely spaced. Also, my GSI wouldn't give us our grades back until it was too late, so we didn't know how poorly we were doing until there was a week of school left.
Biology 173 is definitely a lot more work than expected for a 2 credit class. Your grade really depends on your GSI and if he or she is tough. You need to put more work than expected, but Ammerlaan is more than happy to help. Really liked him as a professor. Hated my GSI. Ammerlaan is very fair and a really good person if you get to know him.
I'm not sure what I just experienced.
Class needs a serious overhaul in its structure and grading. Marc seems to not care about the input of students on the class. You get told the grades will be adjusted by him to account for difficult GSIs but that never happens. My GSI was so difficult and grades aren't adjusted. Horrible class wish there was another prof who cares about students.
Most of your grade depends on the GSI. I had an awesome GSI so it was okay. Not a super demanding class overall, very few assignments. You get two "quizzes" which are pretty tough. Manageable overall. A lot of people don't go to lecture but I think it's really important if you want to do well on the quizzes (they're a pretty big part of your grade)
Dr. Ammerlaan's lectures are only an hour long but can be pretty boring. He's a good lecturer and not nearly as bad as many people make him out to be. Lectures are not necessary to go to at all, because most of the information given is posted online. As long as you go to all the labs and put in some time into the homework you should do fine.
Marcus was a decent professor. lab lecture is not that important but I still went to them though i barely payed attention. He goes off on a lot of tangents. To do well, you need to know what and why you're doing during the lab. go to gsi's office hours for questions and definitely before the papers! Before the 2 quizzes, take many practice exams!
I couldn't stand Marcus' teaching style. Save yourself some time and don't go to lecture. He spends 50 minutes teaching material that can be covered in 20 tops because he goes off on tangents and loves to hear the sound of his own voice. He also doesn't believe in practice quizzes, so make sure you get old test keys from friends; it will save you!
Find practice exams and do do them. He does not give them out, but they will help you. I did not have them and did poorly on the the quizzes, but others who had them did well because they had an idea of what he was looking for. Overall, grade depends on GSI. Mine loved to take off points because I did not say a certain word.
He doesn't even use powerpoint notes, and his notes that he does provide are unorganized and messy. Also, he tests are worded extremely poorly and the lecture notes as well as the discussion problems he gives will not prepare you for them. Avoid Genetics with him at all costs. It's obvious he doesn't enjoy teaching and shouldn't teach upper level.
Horrible professor. He just sticks a word document on the projector and talks through his notes. This is a really hard way to learn and understand genetics. He made the second test much harder because the average on the first exam was 2 points too high. Resulting in the 2nd exam's average 10 points lower than the first. He is VERY condescending.
I had him for 173 and 305, and while I absolutely hate his style of notes with that stupid Microscoft Word format, he was actually a decent teacher in Bio 305. I mean he wasn't exactly inspirational or amazing, but I mean he got the concepts across in my opinion. Exams are hard though, but that's not unique to just Ammerlaan for 305.
Class only meets once a week and he goes over what you will do in the lab the following week. Material is not that hard. Exams are not multiple choice but are not bad. The lab in general was fine we did some interesting experiments. You have to do 2 papers, 2 group presentations and prelabs for almost every lab.
This page had me convinced Ammerlaan is terrible. In reality he is probably one of the best professors I've ever had. The only thing I hate about the class is the fact that the grading is done by the GSIs rather than using scantrons. This means your grade will depend even more on your GSI's opinion of you. I hope this is fixed in the future.
If you must take Genetics, take it with him. I think he's the best genetics professor at the university. He gets his point across in a crisp manner, and is very clear about it. He also includes practice problems (and works through them) in lecture-which I found really helpful. The amount of material is generally quite fair as well.
Ammerlaan completely rocked Bio305. He was clear in the material he covered and more than clear in what we needed to know. If there's one guy that knows how to explain genetics, that's Ammerlaan. I had him in Bio173 in the same semester, but there is so little he can do there. If you ever get the chance to take genetics with Ammerlaan do take it.
I very much enjoyed taking Genetics with Dr. Ammerlaan. His lectures were very clear, and the amount of material was also fair. He is also very charismatic and funny. A great professor!
Dr. Ammerlaan was a tremendously good professor. Even though this class has a reputation of being difficult and I was afraid to take the class at first, he eased all my worries with his knowledge and clear lectures. He will Make Genetics Great Again!
Marcus was kind of confusing because he went on so many tangents. That being said he really did try to explain things clearly so that it made sense for everyone. Your grade really does depend on your GSI but as long as you show that you care you'll be fine. He had plenty of office hours that you could go to if you needed them which was nice.
Puts up a word document for lectures and basically reads through it. The only reason to go is because he usually gives out the prelab answers while talking. The worst part of this class is the quizzes, he pulls questions out of nowhere that aren't related to the topics. Your grade depends on your GSI. Lots of stuff right at end of semester sadly
You don't really have to go to lecture for Bio 173. Your GSI grades everything, so just hope for a good GSI. He posts all the lecture notes on Canvas.
Marcus Ammerlaan is the most boring lecturer on earth. You are better off just printing the lecture notes he posts and reading them on your own time because that is exactly what he does in lecture. Very monotonous, unfunny attempts at jokes, gives quizzes that are more like exams because he wants this course to seem important. Avoid if possible.
This class was extremely bland. Marcus takes a subject that could be incredibly fun and interesting and makes it uniquely hate-able and dull. Grades are entirely based on GSIs which is very unfortunate. Don't take this class unless it's required.
Honestly he expects way too much from us.
Honestly he expects you to read a research paper that could only be understood by high level students and expects you to understand it completely and be able to craft a well though out summary. Avoid if possible.
He was decent. Not bad, but not great
Way too much work for 2-credits. I usually love bio labs but he stressed knowing every detail of the labs for the "quizzes" (exams) which was a ridiculous request and the papers that we had to write were not beneficial at all. He also got pissed when nobody showed up for lecture even though on the first day he said that lecture wasn't mandatory?!?!
This is literally the worst professor ever. Your grade is heavily if not fully dependent on your GSI. We were supposed to have prelabs, and midway he decided to switch the rest of the prelabs to in lab quizzes because some people wouldn't show up to lecture. He reads right off his notes in a word document in lecture. Avoid if possible. Good luck!
Honestly don't know why Marcus gets such a bad rep. Sure, he isn't the most exciting lecturer but he explains everything clearly. Everyone saying how impossible this class is prob doesn't go to lecture or pay attention. GSI dependent but he takes that into account and changes grade cutoffs/curves "tough" sections bc of this/
This was my favorite lab I've taken at UM (comp to orgo1,2,). Lab sections were very laid back and actually fun. The amount of work was definitely fair for 2 credits, and nothing was conceptually hard. Yeah the first paper is dense and difficult, but he and the GSI will give you absolutely everything you need if you talk to them. Everything...
Ok so in the beginning this class seems pretty easy, but then you get to the first "quiz" and let me just say, that's no quiz. He tests us on labs we didn't personally do. And for the first paper we have to read an article that is so dense that i didn't even understand even after reading it 3 times. Avoid if possible
Doesn't know how to lecture. Reads from his PDF files. Very arrogant and does not offer help. Useless as a professor.
I found Marcus's lectures extremely interesting and enjoyable! The material he presents is thorough and clear, which makes it easy to do well in his class. The lab portion of this class, unfortunately, is a bit tedious and less than stimulating, but nonetheless easy to perform well in!
Lectures are anything but helpful. Print off his notes and go to your GSI with questions instead. Students come out of Ammerlaan's lectures more confused than they were before. He's cocky and thinks he's funny but doesn't actually try to teach what we need to know-- just random stuff that won't show up on the test. Class is heavily GSI dependent.
His lectures are not even worth going to; they're not helpful whatsoever and none of his notes(that he puts on the website and then reads during lecture) are on the tests. Your whole grade is basically determined by your GSI. The projects and papers are unnecessarily difficult and the class is unorganized at best.
Worst class ive taken at michigan. I am a science major and this was one of the hardest classes I have taken. There are two papers, one he gave us was impossible even my GSI said he couldnt understand it. The tests are terrible and all open ended so if you forget one thing you get points off. He does not know how to lecture. Dont take if not needed
The outside workload for this class is heavy in comparison to other lab courses due to papers and presentations. Grade was dependent on GSI, but he says he gives extra points to "tougher" sections to compensate. However, his expectations for quizzes were pretty high for an intro biology course but all the information was mostly covered in lecture
Marc honestly sucks, the worst professor I've had at Michigan. His class is poorly structured and almost impossible to do well in. His lectures are terrible, and you can tell he just likes the sound of his own voice. Painfully arrogant and thinks he's pretty damn smart. I really hope they change course directors for future students' sake.
I second every negative comment below. Avoid him at all costs. He makes things more difficult than they need to be and at the end of the day it's unclear what the objective of assignments is/what you're supposed to learn. The only thing that saved my grade was a reasonable GSI. Such a shame this is students' introduction to bio labs at UMich.
This class had way too much work for only two credits. There were two exams, two quizzes, and two papers. Like mentioned in other comments, your grade will heavily depend on your GSI. I had to fight to get points back numerous times. The class should not be this hard for an introductory biology course. Avoid if possible.
This class is a lot of work & lectures can be boring (but pay attention to them, he gives answers to prelabs or info that may be on quizzes), but if you put in the effort, you can get a decent/good grade. It's not too bad. Treat the quizzes like exams, I mean this, study hard for them. The papers are annoying, so go to office hours for help.
He doesn't teach the class, the GSIs do. All he does is type some notes into a word document and read them word-for-word during lecture. There is no reason to go to lecture, as these notes are already posted on Canvas, and attendance is not taken. There was a lot more homework than I expected for a 1 credit lab class. The exams are quite hard.
This class is only graded out of 200 points so its really hard to get an A/A+. Exams were honestly pretty tough. Labs themselves were kinda dumb. You do a couple of group presentations, write two papers that are semi-difficult, and take two open-ended exams. Prof was funny but made things harder than necessary. Also, points are rounded but not %s.
I read a lot of negative comments before starting this class and I was surprised to actually like him. He doesn't read off the slides as much as people say, and he does have a good sense of humor. But, also, don't really worry about it if you happen to miss lecture. :abs are more important and GSI's grade everything
Ammerlaan is a good man. he rearranged our quiz time when there was a shooting threat bc he didn't want us to feel nervous while taking the exam. He knows what he is talking about, and applies common themes from bio 171 and 172 in a way that makes sense in the lab. Projects and tests are kinda hard, but manageable. Overall good class.
Super boring lecture, didn't go unless there was a quiz or paper to turn in. Labs themselves are taught by GSIs; I really liked my GSI and she made an effort to be accessible outside of class and was kind, caring, and made the labs the best they could be. Ammerlaan is not a great lecturer, doesn't add anything to the class.
Not impressed with him at all. Lab lecture became a waste of time by the end of the semester. His GSI's were never on the same page as him, and I would get two different answers for the same question between him and my GSI. Class is mostly based on your lab GSI, mine was awful
It's a bummer to see most of the reviews are from Bio 173, as that class, no matter whom you have for a prof is... less than fun. That said, MC Ammer is a great prof. He's fun, engaging, and rather pleasant, despite reading off of his lecture notes verbatim often. Exams are hard, but if you're good at multiple choice, you won't have any trouble.
Ive had him for 173 lab as well and it was fine. I was terrified of genetics but it really was not bad even as an accelerated class. I suggest reading not all the assigned sections before lecture. If you do that the concepts stick much better. (Tip: winter term genetics is brutal. Choose either summer or winter)
Lectures are extremely boring and dull. Class is heavily dependent on the GSI which could be a good or bad thing.
Incredibly boring lecture where he reads off the canvas document. Class completely dependent on GSI. he occasionally gives answers to prelab/quiz in lecture so kinda helpful, but if you can get a friend to get those notes then dont go
take with dif prof if you can...
Not good. Doesn't tell you what to study for quizzes or give any practice ones. hope you have a nice GSI like i did.....
Dr. Ammerlaan is a nice person, that much is clear. But the lectures are not clear. The "quizzes" are the worst. They really are more like exams. A lot of information not on notes or in the modules are put on the exam. It's all dependent on your GSI.
The class is out of 200 points. The quizzes are extremely difficult and bombing one quiz makes it impossible for an A
He said there wouldnt be procedure questions of mol bio for quiz 1 but there were! They were questions about what we would throw out for PCR and column chromotagraphy.
2 presentations, 2 four page papers, 2 exams (midterm/final), prelabs (that are strictly graded). How is this a 2 credit class? The professor is fine, but he makes the GSIs grade strictly. I thought we did great on our presentation, but only got an 80%. They take pre lab points off too if you're not specific enough or don't have particular wording
For a 2 credit lab class, Bio 173 is a lot of work. There are 2 papers, 2 group presentations and 2 tests. The material seems a bit too in-depth for a simple intro bio lab course. You will probably feel lost if you haven't taken or aren't currently taking 171&172. He's a good prof (and is super helpful one-on-one) just a very tough grader.
Horrible, very disrespectful too. In "quiz review" he refused to give out practice questions / old quizzes and was snarky to students who were asking questions and didn't understand material
I understand that a college lab is not supposed to be easy A+ for everybody who shows up. But this was wayyyyy too much work for a 2 credit intro bio lab. Essentially, there is 2-3 months of absolutely nothing, then you are slammed with a paper, presentation, and exam all in a week. Can't work on them earlier because you need to wait for the data.
This class is very GSI based. Marc is a terrible grader -- expects us to know things that were not covered in class, etc. If you get a good GSI, say hello to an easy A, but if not, work as hard as possible. The structure of the class is terrible -- too much work in the last two weeks and barely anything for the entire beginning of the semester.
This class is out of 200 points. Completely GSI dependent, and some of them grade very harshly. The essays are tough but doable, if you go to office hours and make sure you ask your GSI what to include you should be okay. The presentations aren't bad, but the first one is graded much tougher. Get a hold of previous quizzes, they were very similar
Absolutely terrible. Is unprepared for lectures and doesn't actually teach you any material- he reads off of a PDF with vague bare-minimum info and then tests you on specifics that you have to somehow find on your own. He held an exam review and someone asked what would be on the exam and he just goes: um, some questions about plants.
I took Bio 173, a 2 credit lab, this semester and this class has taken more of my time than any of the other classes I am taking. The work required to get a decent grade in this class is ridiculous.
I had Ammerlaan for summer term genetics. He reads off of a single-spaced word document for his lectures, which is very confusing for trying to learn difficult genetics concepts. It was hard to figure out how to master the material and overall a very frustrating experience.
I went to the lectures in the beginning, but realized that it was completely useless.... Ammerlaan is a passionate teacher, but I doubt that anyone really pays attention except for the people who sit in the front. It is GSI based, so pray for a good one. But keep in mind that it is a lot of work for a 2 credit class.
Ammerlaan has a bit of a bad reputation, but when it comes down to it, his Bio 173 class really isn't that bad. A lot of comments on here ought to be directed to the individual GSIs that people had. Ammerlaan is well-educated and explains things that will be on the exams. While he may be a bit blunt, he still takes time to answer any questions.
The first few months you do nothing. Then, it is non-stop work for the rest of the semester. Missing points on pre-labs is devastating because you can only miss 20 points total for an A. The quizzes are hard and missing 5 points on each of them is almost guaranteed. Go into the class trying your best and you'll be fine. Bad GSI then drop!
Going to lecture was a very big waste of time. He basically would put the prelabs on the projector and talk about them. There was never any structure to how he taught and it felt like he didn't care. Don't base whether or not you take the class on Ammerlaan because he's never around and I really liked my GSI, she was super helpful and really cared.
Solid lecturer. Definitely not necessary to attend all of his lectures, but I found them to be helpful. He explains information that's included in lab packets and files well. Would recommend taking his lab class.
It was mandatory to have him as part of the lab section of Microbiology, but I have taken him for Bio173 as well. Both times I was very unimpressed with his teaching abilities. Although I had a great GSI in microbio lab, he seemed very uninformed of what to do in lab. If you can avoid I definitely would!
He only taught during the optional lectures on Friday, and I thought he was great at teaching for the first two subjects (molecular bio and enzymes), but when it came to evolution/ecology, the class became rather rushed (a poster, a presentation, and a quiz all in a 2-3 week span). The class is very GSI dependent (thankfully I had a good one).
The class was very lecture heavy and the lectures were pretty confusing and all over the place. He was a very understanding, kind professor, but the class was just difficult because there were very few assignments.
His lectures did not keep me engaged: he doesn't use PowerPoint, so be warned. He lectures from some talking points listed on a document, that's it. Some images would have been really helpful - especially since lab topics are pretty complex. 2 WRITTEN, exam-like quizzes are given, and they are hard. 2 papers and 2 presentations also are required.
It's ridiculous how much work goes into this class, specifically the last 1-2 weeks, for a 2 credit lab and how in depth papers/presentations/quizzes are based material that was presented at a very basic level. Ammerlaan was a boring lecturer, reading off a pdf that was given ahead of time, grading is strict. Too much work for a 2 credit intro lab.
Since his lectures were not mandatory, I didn't really go to them but when they were moved online, I felt that all his video lectures were pretty clear and concise.
Profesor Ammerlan was good. Your experience really depends on which GSI you have to be honest. I attended Ammerlan's Friday lecture and it made the lab assignment much more clear. After classes went online, he provided very clear and helpful videos for us to learn lab techniques and theory. The quizzes can be tough.
he's a horrible teacher. he is condescending and will make your life harder just because he can.
Ammerlaan's lectures got better after the switch to online. The class itself is a bit disorganized and way too much work for 2 credits. Your success also really depends on your GSI. Mine was a harsh grader while others gave out easy 100s. The two quizzes are straightforward if you very thoroughly understand the concepts behind the labs.
He sucked. There's only a few assignments and he grades them way too hard. There was little explanation before hand and he was super nitpickey. Definitely would not take again. Make an intro bio lab way too involved.
I had Prof. Ammerlaan as a GSI for my Bio 172 discussion, and he was one of the most accessible, rigorous instructors I came across that semester. He taught with a genuine passion and worked with students to make sure they were performing well in the class. I can't speak to his performance as a lecturer, but in the capacity of a GSI he was great!
I only had Dr. Ammerlaan for bio lab but he seemed like a solid professor. He was really nice and genuinely cared about his student's success. His other classes may be more difficult, but bio lab was easy and not too much work.
Taking a bio lab online was not ideal and Ammerlaan honestly did not have much sympathy. He definitely tried to make it more accessible to us, but the quizzes were unreasonably difficult. I think he assumes that we know more than we really did. You NEEEEED to take Bio 172 with or before this class or else you are going to be so confused!
His lecture videos were extremely vague and did little help for the exams. The assignments given were always time consuming and graded hard depending on your gsi. He is unaware that students have other classes other than his.
I'll preface this by saying that I had a really bad interaction with Professor Ammerlaan - that many probably won't have. He boasts in his lectures that he's there for students, but then when you actually reach out to him he takes a week+ to respond - and in my case, he was pretty disrespectful when he finally got around to it. Wouldn't recommend.
My GSI never knew what was going on. When I would email Professor Ammerlaan he seemed very bothered and responded curtly even though in his lectures he talks about how accessible he is. The grading criteria is never clear and often we miss points on tests because he expects something in the answer that the question didn't ask for.
He gave a ridiculous amount of work for a class that was only 2 credits. His grading is also ridiculous as a 95 is the cut-off for an A. The lecture and assignments were nowhere near the material that was on the exam.
He does not respond to emails in a timely matter and when he does he is rude about it. He acts like a celebrity. He said to me during office hours he is like this to prepare us for the real world, but in reality, he is not a good guy. I truly do not know how he still has a job, I would rather wait to take in the fall than take with him in winter.
The workload wasn't bad and lab activities were doable, but we had some strange quizzes and I feel that lecture content didn't prepare us well for it. The class is GSI orientated, and I was lucky to have a helpful and nice GSI
The lectures were given by Ammerlaan, but all grading was done by GSIs. There were two quizzes, essentially a midterm and an exam, that tested more advanced concepts compared to what we learned. The structure of these quizzes felt like an AP exam. There's a lot of 'fluff' grades to balance out the quizzes, but your grade will depend on your GSI.
(for bio173) Marcus was an alright professor at first! He was a bit of a poor explainer when it came to certain topics, but overall he was alright. My main issue with him is that he has little to no respect for his students, and it is very difficult to access him outside of class, as it takes several emails sent over weeks for him to respond.
The grading criteria is not standardized, so your grade really depends on your GSI. In addition, he does not respond to emails in a quick manner. In terms of lectures, he's alright-he just reads from powerpoints. He raised the grading scale to a 95 is an A last minute, which is not enough time for students to make adjustments.
I don't think Dr. Ammerlaan had any bad intentions, the class was just not well set up. The exams are hard and over material we don't ever really learn, and the lectures really aren't that helpful. We're given lots of assignments that took up too much time out of class considering the lab is for two credits. The professor is also hard to reach.
When I took this class, the lectures were recorded and attendance was not mandatory. I usually watched the recordings at home and occasionally just skipped them altogether. The materials were presented clearly, and I did fine in the class. That being said, I was never there in person so I don't know anything about his interactions with students
Professor Ammerlann provides decent lectures and his lab manuals are helpful for lab, but they don't really prepare you well for the exam. Your grade depends on the GSI, and my GSI graded things very late and graded super harshly. When trying to address these concerns with professor Ammerlaan, he was hard to get a response from.
I thought this was a pretty straightforward class with a moderate workload. My GSI's grading was very questionable (to put it mildly), but Dr. Ammerlaan was open and responsive when discussing concerns I had with my scores. Do your best to memorize the lab manuals and lecture slides for the two exams, since they can get highly specific.
Professor Ammerlaan lost my midterm exam and I spent weeks trying to contact him. He made my final exam worth double the points and yelled at me in front of the entire lab section when I asked if I could retake a new version of the midterm or have my grade weighted. He doesn't respond to emails and just reads from a PowerPoint during lecture.
Mr. Ammerlaan's lectures did not prepare you for the lab, and did not clearly outline what was expected of you for lab. Very few times did I feel prepared for assignments, and many other students felt the same. There was little to no explanation for many of the experiments- even the GSI seemed to not fully grasp the concepts we were working on.
He was so incredibly rude to me. I had to email him 3 times about my family emergency, and he only replied 3 weeks later, not even sending any condolences or apologies for replying so late. He did not even say hello or address me, rather he just made a passive-aggressive comment and that's it. Never had such a rude professor in my life.
Dr Ammerlaan's BIO173 course is by far the worst course I have taken at Michigan. Lectures are incredibly boring and completely useless for understanding lab/exam material, and the exams are incredibly poorly written and difficult to succeed on.
Took it on WN '23. Very straightforward class, where there were only 2 exams & plenty of assignments (some of which weighed more than the tests). Learn the lectures & lab manuals well. I'd say that your experience in the class relies more heavily on your GSI, since the lectures are just 50 mins once a week, compared to the 3-hr labs.
Class is heavily dependent on GSI. Explanations in lecture were often brief and many things were just read from the slides. Felt that exams were asking more than what was presented in the lecture, as questions were on specific things that were not discussed in detail as much in the lecture. Also is very unresponsive to emails.
Poor organization, does not know how to use technology, exams not reflective of material learned. Nice guy and tries to be funny/entertaining, but really lacks in the teaching/lecturing department.
rambles in lectures, lectures not helpful for lab, GSI did most of everything, very confusing course to follow because of little instruction and resources/organization
Did not explain things very well, the lab was just busy work, exams had very specific questions when we only really covered broad topics in lecture
His exam questions are open to interpretation in a fact-based course, the GSI's are inconsistent with what is provided, and the structure of the course is downright confusing with little room for error. My friend declined a major because of this guy. I would honestly wait an entire semester just to take it with Nowicki. Poorly instructed course
I so DEEPLY do not recomend this course or this professor. The course is very dependent on your GSI and if your GSI is a tough grader, rough b/c Ammerlaan will not be helping you. His test are overly difficult. Take this course with literally anyone else.
Dr. Ammerlan is quite boring and was made for lecture recordings at 2x speed. Like most lab classes, attendance at lecture was pointless. Most of your grade is determined by your GSI. Also, his tests were awful because they were free response and completely subjective. Despite this, I liked Dr. Ammerlan's teaching style and quips.
Dr. Ammerlaan's lectures can be dry, but focusing on the lab materials and utilizing resources like unstuckstudy AI for study prep can help navigate this course. The exams are tricky, but staying engaged pays off.
Ammerlaan's exams are notoriously difficult, even when described by my GSI. As a professor, he can have a bit of a temper and is a rather dry lecturer, but lectures are recorded. Your grade really does depend on if you get a good GSI, but I'd recommend taking this with any other professor.
so hard to reach outside of class and exams are impossible in comparison to the material taught in lecture
He talks at you for an hour and a half, reading notes off of a page. It is not conducive to learning at all, and most of the time it was so confusing that I had to rewatch & look things up anyway. Exams felt unfairly hard compared to the quality of lecture. Very little practice material. He does well with the labs, though.
Dr. Ammerlaan is clearly very knowledgeable about what he teaches. This was a tough course, and he did a good job making clear what the students needed to know. He is very respectful and seems kind. Overall good professor for a tough course.
The only thing more lifeless than his lectures is his enthusiasm. He has the charm of a stapler and the teaching ability to match. During each lecture, he attempts to recruit students for his own research projects, letting everyone know where his real priorities are. I sent him numerous polite emails about my concerns; he responded to none.
Most monotone teacher I've ever had. Also disrespectful to students in lecture.
Save yourself and take this with any other prof honestly. Take it in the fall and not the winter. Just not worth it imo.
I never went to lecture, and I did well in the course by watching the lecture recordings. Grades were based on GSI, and I was lucky I got an AMAZING one. I emailed Ammerlaan once about a cutoff lecture recording, and he answered in a few hours but was not warm or kind about it. It wasn't the worst class ever but I would not want to take it again.
DO NOT TAKE WITH THIS PROFESSOR. He is very mean and rude. He makes his exams so hard and complicated for what?? Barely anything from lecture or lab is covered on the exams. He gives you a list of things to know for the exam and tells you to study those and then barely any of those do not end up being on the exam. You need a good GSI to do well.
Tests don't really correspond to what's taught in lecture, doesn't answer any emails, lectures aren't very engaging. Material isn't really difficult, but focus on application for exams
Lectures were exceedingly boring and not very informative. Some of the labs were pointless and tedious for no reason, others were very fun! He is a fairly nice guy, just could show more enthusiasm. Exams were very odd & niche and hardly focused on lecture. Gave a lot of terms and used very few of them for the actual exam. HEAVILY depends on GSI.
His lectures are sooooo boring and if it wasn't for random iclickers I would skip. Most of the stuff from lecture doesn't even help with the exam, it's all based on what you do in lab and if you have a good GSI since they grade everything. If you just do the bare minimum and get all your assignments in its an easy A.
Packs labs more than any other professor. First half of the semester, you can't even breath you are just rushing to get it all done. His exams are written extremely poorly and very vague. He only does free response, which is fine, but he expects VERY specific words and phrases in your answers, making it almost impossible to do well on them.
Dr. Ammerlaan gives very boring lectures and often goes off script. I would recommend connecting to iclicker from home and watch the lectures afterwards on 2x speed. Lectures don't really help at all with exams and they give little direction on what to study. Luckily exams are not worth much (20%). Generally the class feels very disorganized.
Just do the iclicker at home. No need to go to lecture at all
He does not grade stuff such as the lab report until after school is done with finals and grades unnecessarily hard. He tried to say that I used Ai and other semesters work in my lab report when I did not. When I showed him my doc history and my chat history he would not change my grade. He also teaches us nothing in class.
honestly i don't have much to say about prof ammerlaan. he seemed nice and i thought he was very fair when making grading or making assignments. i wouldn't be worried for biology 173
I dropped Prof. Ammerlaan's class after I sent him an email (and followed up), but never received a reply. I also tried going to his office in person and he wasn't there. Beware that communication might be an issue if you take a class with Prof. Ammerlaan. I attended a few of his lectures and they seemed alright.
-10/0 DO NOT RECOMMEND. He accused me of AI when I did not and proved so. He has a very rude demeanor and does not care to listen to students. Very much an older teacher stubborn in his ways and talks over you. GSI's are the only saving grace of this class.
RUN! The A line varies for this class and the lecture is boring asf.
Generally, the professors of the Biology Department helped me overcome my freshman year Imposter's Syndrome. They were the reason for my Imposter's Syndrome in the first place. He is a man of no mercy. His office hours are okay, but that's it. Two back-to-back exams had under 67% average and he did not curve at all. Emailing him is hopeless. AVOID.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
38%
Textbook Required
52%
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