3.1
Quality3.8
Difficulty52%
Would Retake125
Reviews52%
Would Retake
125
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
26
4
31
3
28
2
17
1
23
What Students Say
“HOWEVER, the tests were crazy hard”
BIOL1108 - 3.0 rating“Cons: Literally the hardest tests I've taken in college”
BIOL1108 - 4.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
27%
Textbook Required
14%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.17 avg changeRatings by Course
HONS2070
5.0
(1)BIOL1990
5.0
(1)cbio4990
5.0
(1)HONS2080
4.5
(2)CBIO4600
4.5
(6)Difficulty by Course
BIOL1104
4.0
BIOL1108
3.9
CBIO4600
3.3
HONS2080
3.0
cbio4990
3.0
Reviews (125)
Wonderful! ACTUALLY made biology interesting. Seems like he really enjoys teaching
A really cool and funny guy who really tries to make us English, Philosophy, and Anthropology majors more intererested in science. For all those people who take the first section of this course, the second half is way easier and laid-back. Not too challenging, just make sure you know definitions for every random thing he ever mentions
The second half of this class is much better than the first half. Farmer keeps things interesting by applying them to current topics in medicine and research that actually matter. Overall, the class is very manageable. Finish out the HONS sequence. If you survive the first semester, the second will be worth it.
he cotaught w/ Dr. Lemmons so he only taught 1 section of the class. he tries to make the info as entertaining as possible but its still mundane & hard to understand; he went too in depth for a non-science major class. take thorough notes & study the learning objectives & podcast the lectures if possible. test = hard, m/c w/ 2 short answers
He co-taught this with Lemons and his lectures were way harder to follow. What he says and his powerpoints are always different so you're gonna need to take a ton of notes. I went in for office hours and still only got an 83 on the test. He only taught one quarter of the class though, so it wasn't too bad.
Here's the deal: Farmer is great. When he co-teaches with Dr. Lang: NOT GREAT. Our semester was divided between the two teachers. Loved Farmer - super engaging lectures, nice person, good teacher. Lang unfortunately was a horrible teacher (though nice person) which dampened my experience. REALLY wish I had been taught by Farmer all semester.
So basically, no one made a raw grade of an A in my class. It's hilarious cause they specifically state in class that the information given to us are "still under research" and considered "not 100% correct" yet they expect us to know these facts like we're legit biologists. LITERALLY "if 2+24, what is the mass of the sun" class. I DO NOT RECOMMEND
This class wasn't that bad. Farmer taught the first half of the class and Lang taught the second half. Farmer was more interesting but it was hard to determine what was necessary for the test and what was just an interesting fact. Lang's lectures weren't as interesting but he presented strictly the material.
I enjoyed Farmer's lectures. I made an A in this class with a MODERATE amount of work. You need to study EVERYDAY (or every other day), go to class and do the reading. Do this, and you'll make an A. It also helps to be genuinely interested in Biology. Dr. Farmer seems like a nice guy, although I was far too shy to every approach him.
The worst professor I have had at UGA so far. Nothing is explained correctly when it comes to the structure of the class. The tests are information straight from the powerpoint but the information is very basic. So he expects you to extrapolate complex ideas from the very elementary information he gives us. Very disappointed.
One of the worst classes I've ever taken. The tests are extremely difficult for a 1000 level and not straightforward. Everything you need to know is straight from the lectures and none from the book. The grading system is very confusing as well, and he curves the class at the end so you won't know until the very end of the semester where you stand.
I had a few classes with Mark freshman year (FYOS and Intro. to Biology program) before taking an actual class (3 hr.). He is always accessible and willing to help students. He is great lecturer and good at explaining thing. However, the course was difficult and time consuming, but one of my favorite courses I took at UGA.
Dr. Farmer is a pretty decent lecturer, but his tests are over a lot of material. He typically picks obscure facts from the lecture slides and puts them into MC form. Easily one of the toughest classes I've taken at UGA and I'm a third year currently. One benefit to his class is that there are a lot of other grades besides the tests.
For a Bio major, this class was pretty difficult. He is a good lecturer and tries to keep your attention by throwing in jokes into his lecture. The tests are ridiculous and very misleading. There is a textbook, but the lecture slides are more helpful. There is group-work and a group test which gives you more room to improve your overall grade.
Definitely show up to class! I'm making a high B, while my friends who don't show up get 40s on every class. You may think that having access to the class power points will help, but showing up to class is basically necessary!!! Dr. Farmer really is a good guy. He has dry humor, and he's very knowledgable and passionate about his field.
I enjoyed the class, the lectures were funny and generally interesting. HOWEVER, the tests were crazy hard. If I could give one pieces of advice, it would be to memorize all of the notes- every part. Even the most unsignificant details. Tests had multiple choice and fill in the blank(which is crazy for a class with this much information presented)
The lectures were very engaging. The powerpoints are also posted online There is some online homework, but it isn't difficult. There are TopHat questions every day, but they are just graded for attendance, not accuracy, so showing up to class will boost your grade. The tests were difficult, and every aspect of the notes should be reviewed.
Dr. Farmer is great! You will learn so much in his Biol 1108 class - given you put in the time and effort to actively learn. He covers a variety of topics in biology, and communicates all concepts very entertainingly and well. Study and understand the concepts in the power points thoroughly.
He really wants his students to do well. Easy to talk to! Lectures are actually entertaining and fun!
Pros: He is an incredible lecturer and will keep you engaged in the material. The in the news assignments were interesting enough and there were a lot of other grades to balance out the tests. Cons: Literally the hardest tests I've taken in college. They are over very small details in the power points, so be sure to study every detail of them.
He taught the class with Dr. Trapnell, and the organization seemed to be all over the place. They try and be funny, but they read from the powerpoint and it was VERY hard for me to stay engaged and learn anything in class. The worst part is the nit picky and confusing questions they ask on the test. Even group exams were hard to score well on!
Dr. Farmer is passionate about biology, which makes the class fun! However, a word of caution: this course had extremely difficult tests, focusing on minuscule details from the lecture. A portion of your grade relies on the strangers around you, by taking "group exams". This can be frustrating, especially if your group never comes to class.
Dr. Farmer is a great teacher! Gives amazing lectures, gets the class involved, and keeps it interesting. Tests are difficult and group tests can be annoying if you get stuck with a bad group. Overall, not a lot of homework and the homework you have is usually pretty relevant. Provides lots of outside sources and loves to get asked questions.
He was a very good lecturer, made things easy to understand but can be at times boring. There's a lot of material for every exam and each exam is very detail-oriented. Probably some of the hardest exams I've taken, but he has assignments that are easy to do and boost your grade a lot.
Dr. Farmer is actually a pretty good professor. The lectures are pretty good and actually kind of interesting. The tests are very difficult because it covers alot of material and is very detailed. The group tests can even be kind of stressful and frustrating. There are also alot of assignments that help with your grade so it's not that bad.
I have to say Dr. Farmer has been one of my favorite teachers I've had in college. He engages you in every topic and genuinely loves what he does. I did not think the tests were as hard as some people say, you just have to study very diligently because they are very detailed (I guess some people just don't like studying).
The material is boring at first, but becomes more interesting. Farmer told us after our first test that he didn't want anyone to make 100 on the tests because that meant it was too easy which was very off-putting. I did fine on the tests but they are very detail oriented and nit-picky.
Dr. Farmer was an amazing professor and his lectures were really interesting. He is really passionate and genuine about the subject and teaches it in a very clear manner. His tests are hard and you really have to study for it but he also gives a lot of other assignments to help pull up your grade.
A lot of outside classwork that can be tested. Farmer can tend to stray from main biology content as compared to other classes because he incorporates current events. There is a slight curve at the end, but test material is hard to predict and doesn't test a lot of the material covered in class. Instead they require you to overthink the content.
He's passionate about bio and makes lectures fun w/ humor and memes. However, if u want to do well, u must memorize EVERY SINGLE DETAIL in EVERY SINGLE ONE of his ppts b/c tests are hard. luckily, there are many other (somewhat easy) assignments thru the semester that offset bad tests grades. I recommend him, as long as ur able to put in the work!
Dr. Farmer is one of the most inspirational professors I've had. He really loves what he's teaching and makes it interesting. Tests are hard and this class takes a lot of time because you need to memorize a lot in addition to other assignments that help your grade. Tests are about 50% of the grade and there's a curve at the end.
I really loved Prof Farmer as a person. Tries to be funny and makes lectures pretty interesting. The tests are very powerpoint heavy and not the easiest, I suggest studying the PP slides. Pretty difficult class, but overall I enjoyed it. A lot of outside class assignments, but easy to get the points.
Farmer taught with Trapnell. He was a good lecturer, but if teachers that hype their opinions a lot bother you, then take another professor. Very doable class with a significant curve at the end. LEARN the powerpoints, especially ITNs and SimBio. Literally no detail is insignificant so study everything. Try to get 100s on all the non-test stuff.
Dr. Farmer is a really good lecturer. He makes biology truly interesting. However, he does give a good bit of homework, but this isn't really a bad thing because it's a cushion for your grade. The tests are very difficult as well but curved based on the class average.
Dr. Farmer is a solid choice for Bio 1108. He is a really interesting guy and I found his lectures pretty informative and current. Lots of weekly homework assignments but they're all to boost your grade at the end. Tests are okay. Curves at the end of the class!
If you like high speed note taking, clicker questions, and never ending lectures, this is the class for you. There are 2 weekly assignments and 1 monthly assignment that recur throughout the semester. Worst off, the tests are VERY DIFFICULT. Luckily, he curves the final grades to where essentially nobody gets a C. Weird grading scale but doable.
Dr. Farmer has a specific teaching style that seems to register with some people better than others. He gives very detailed, difficult tests based off his PowerPoints that often contain 50-70 slides with many words. I liked that he related everything we were learning to a real-life situation. I had test average of C and got As on everything else.
First time I've ever rated a professor, but it's because Farmer's class sucks. The lectures are pointless because. you just cram about 500 slides worth of information for the test a couple days before. I went to every single class, got every extra credit and did better than average on every test, and still barely squeaked an A-. DONT TAKE HIM
Dr. Farmer is one of the most enjoyable professors in the Cell Bio department. He actually loves the material and makes it fun. There's a lot of content (especially because of the individual presentations) and the exams are really specific, but the essay questions and the final paper give you the opportunity to show off what you know.
Tests are impossible, and on so much material. None of the information correlates and none of the test questions has a clear cut answer. Double the work of any other bio class. I dread this class more than Ochem is that tells you something
I was diligent with my studying, I dedicated about 20+hours of studying for each test and still made a C. The tests seem like they are created for the student to fail and the professors expect you to. Exceptionally detailed and you have SO much information you have to memorize. Just completely unnecessary amount of material.
Tests are literally impossible. There's so much material that you don't know what to study for. My friends took Parr's 1108 class and they did much better because her course and tests were more structured. Do NOT take 1108 with Farmer.
The actual classes and the lecture were pretty interesting since he mainly lectured on science that was outside of the actual curriculum. But this was also annoying because the tests were very specific, and almost none of the info was based on the lectures during class time, but other powerpoints he would post on elc. Lots of studying, lots of work
The test are extremely specific and detailed. I'm not sure how you can make an A on the exams, because they are so specific. The smallest details end up on the exam. However, you can tell he really loves what he does. Dr. Farmer really does enjoy the subject and likes to include real life examples. Overall great class, however the exam are hard.
This class and Dr. Farmer were deeply average. We got a lot of leniency in terms of things being dropped, but Dr. Farmer thought that a class average of a 70 on a test was amazing. There are weekly assignments that get irritating, but, at the end of the day, Dr. Farmer is a very interesting person to talk to and his lectures are interesting.
I took the Population FYO, and it was soooo easy! I'm not sure if attendance is usually mandatory since I took it during covid, but basically just do the assignments and don't fall asleep in class and you'll be good. No tests, not super hard homework, interesting content. Take this FYO 10000%.
Dr. Farmer is by far one my favorite professors. His biology of protists class was very fun and he teaches the course in an amazingly. I also am a part of his research lab and senior seminar and he is truly a man who cares about his student's learning and is very accessible outside of class. Definitely recommend.
Biology of Protists is a chill class, and Farmer is a chill professor. I found the content kinda boring, but he does a good job of changing it up. My only real issue with him is he makes you learn a LOT of material outside of lecture via recorded powerpoints and you spend most of the in class time doing student presentations or case studies
Farmer is very nice and he tries to make the lectures interesting. There is a lot of weekly assignments but they're not hard, just time consuming. The only downside is he does give you A LOT of information and the powerpoints are long. The tests are somewhat hard but your weekly assignments do help with your grade. You definitely have to study.
His tests are NEVER what you learn in class and the questions are very rigorous. HELLA assignments due every week like In the news and packback (just like a discussion board that he makes you pay for). LONGGGGGG powerpoints that tend to have a lot of useful info. he is very funny though and keeps the course interesting.
Some of the other reviews for this class are negative based on the test difficulty which is only partially true. The tests are extremely detail oriented and based on lectures. The notes you take SHOULD NOT COPY THE PPT. Overall if you took good notes this class has very little out of class preparation and was way less stressful than OCHEM 1.
Dr. Farmer assigns a ton of busy work every week that barely even pertains to actual course content. Instead, he teaches the class about what he is interested in, then throws in curriculum content through an online assignment called SimBio. His lectures are scattered and long, making it almost impossible to know what is going to be on the test.
Dr. Farmer was a great professor for Biology II. Although he assigns much homework and his lectures contain a lot of material, he is very nice and humorous to make the class more appealing. He is also very willing to work with you on homework and exam reviews to help you do well. He also offers tons of extra credit which helped me a lot. Take him!
I took the Anthropocene FYOS and it was one of my favorite classes. I really liked how every class was a discussion. I learned so much, and everything we learned/talked about was super interesting. The only grades are the weekly write-ups where you watch a video or read something assigned each week and write a page on it for participation.
Although this class is designed to introduce you to biology programs at UGA, and although Dr. Farmer was not the primary lecturer, he structured this class perfectly. A small class size allowed better involvement in the lectures, and it helped me on the post-lecture assignments, which usually consisted of only one short writing assignment a week.
super easy FYOS, attendance wasn't taken and we were only graded on weekly write-ups (around 1 paragraph)
It doesn't matter how much of the content you know. You will not make an A on the test because it is full of trick questions. He enjoys making complex questions and throwing tricks in them. If you ask him to clarify the question, he won't. Questions on the tests are very badly worded.
This class is very difficult for no reason. There is an absurd amount of content and tons of slides filled with random information and diagrams. He gives no hints as to what could possibly be on the test, and there is no structure or organization. The tests are so difficult and don't accurately test what the student is spending their time learning.
Definitely could be better. Lectures were totally unorganized and hard to follow, and tests included really small details that were not well-covered. I felt like all the tests were trick questions we were supposed to magically understand.
Lectures are entertaining but hard to follow. Packback and a current event paper due weekly. Assigned groups for "group tests" that come right after every test. Tests were extremely detail-oriented and never really knew what to expect going into them, as they consisted mostly of details that were oftentimes glazed over in lectures. Extra credit!
Teaching style is to speak on topics that interest him, then test you on minute details you would not know to study unless you can telepathically communicate with him. Tests are ambiguous, usually 30 trick questions each. Makes you do irrelevant assignments. Takes off points if you don't follow his professionalism rules (not kidding).
Dr. Farmer was probably one of the most engaging professors I've ever had. He went off on odd tangents but did an excellent job of keeping me personally engaged during his lectures. There was a good bit of weekly homework but it added to the content. His tests can be super specific and often difficult, but fair.
Great prof!
he's great! take him if you have a chance. he's always willing to help out students who ask & his tests are fair. lots of extra credit to boost your grade.
Dr. Farmer got thrown into this class last minute and he did great. People don't realize that this man is kind of famous for many reasons in the biology field. CBIO 4990 is one presentation, one term paper, and super short quizzes each week over the other classmate's presentations. Attendance isn't required but quizzes are easier if you go to class
He did not care about us. He wouldn't curve our tests even with D averages because he said to "wait" until he curves it at the end based off the best performing student. What is the point of this? Why not just do that curve for each test once we take them? He wants us to not be able to know what our grade is. He is the reason people burn out.
Great professor in terms of lectures. Lectures are, for the most part, interesting. I would argue that he's bad at writing tests. Chooses overly specific words or phrases from the ppts to put on tests.
I would never recommend this professor to anyone!! His lectures make no sense and will talk about 50 different things in one class period. The tests are impossible!! I have a A in OChem for reference and I passed one of his exams. Studying for hours will do absolutely nothing for your grade because the test questions are so specific.
Farmer has more work compared to other teachers- weekly In The News assignments, Packback, SimBio questions which can be a lot, but he made lectures interesting and funny. The best way to study is to look through PPTs. Study early and read the PPTs carefully and you will be fine. Offers a lot of extra credit to boost your grade.
Dr. Farmer is not only very smart but also very interesting. His lectures were so funny and entertaining. The tests are tough and sometimes they're at annoying times or on annoying days, but you have a lot of time in advance to study for them. There is a lot of work but it's literally so easy and it means your entire grade isn't just the tests
Most frustrating class ever. I understand wanting to connect to the "real world," but the class was one large tangent. He definitely cares about the material, but the schedule made no sense. No phones or anything but notes in class, and there is a dress code. Tests were on random, specific points, but not hard to get an A if you do the work.
He's definitely passionate about the subject. His lectures are pretty interesting, weekly quizzes that you just need to write as much as possible to get a 100. Monthly presentations too, they arent bad. Test are kinda hard but same as quizzes, just write as much as possible. Opposite curved grading scale (100-95 only for an A) makes it kinda hard
I would rec him and this class. Farmer is passionate about protists and u get to learn a lot of facts about them. He records lectures and puts weekly quizzes online. He encourages u to work together. The only downside is the exam. Lots of protist names and information to write down. He's a lenient grader tho. Just remember an A is 95-100 ):
just bad.
Literally don't take him and trapnell. So many weekly assignments that you have to do that other bio teachers don't make you do. They go through the slides so fast making it impossible to take notes. Tests are hard and everyone fails. save yourself the trouble, don't take them
Amazing biologist who obviously knows what he is talking about, but often forgets that we do not. Many lectures felt like he was talking to were grad students. I'm typically a very good student (A- in both gen chems) but I found this class very difficult to the point I had to withdraw. Do not take unless you have a solid foundation in bio
Dr. Farmer is a great professor! His class has been so enjoyable to take because he and Dr.Trapnell are very knowledgeable and great at connecting the lectures to real-world analogies. There are weekly assignments but if you actively listen in class and study for the exams, it's very doable!
Dr. Farmer is a very nice man but he shouldn't be teaching this class. He and his wife both lecture, so there's no consistency and their content contradicts one another. His lectures are extremely hard to follow because he goes off on random tangents and he picks the most specific things for his tests so you can't really study.
One of my favorite classes ever! He makes every topic so interesting and connects it to the real world to help apply lessons. lots of assignments but he does it to help you boost your grade so you don't just rely on tests. he lets us make the test questions as extra credit so that is why tests can be so specific. study ppts for tests to do good.
Both Dr. Farmer and Dr. Trapnell go off-topic at various times in every lecture. In the end, everyone is confused, frustrated, or both. The exams are worded badly and rely too much active recall on off-topic details. The homework does little to no help with coursework; it is just more material to be tested on. Half of the class has withdrawn.
I think the good reviews are written by Farmer and Trapnell themselves. His lectures always go through so many different topics that barley connect to each other. It ends up being around 300-400 slides of material for the tests. They pull the most random details from slides, so you have to memorize 400 slides if you want to do well. AVOID
As a person he is fine but he should not be a teacher. His tests are made terribly. I saw a review saying they did better in chem than in his bio class bc of farmer. I thought he was lying, but I found chem way easier to study for than this and am doing way better in chem than this. Lectures all over the place. take someone else for bio
Co-teaches with Dorset Trapnell. Prime example of how being a smart, well accomplished scientist doesn't mean you're a good professor. Tests were hard with no curve, lectures were extremely dense and fast paced with seemingly unrelated information, LOTS of weekly work. If you're not extremely passionate about biology, DO NOT take this class!
If you are interested in taking this course to actually learn about Biology rather than just for the credit, please take this course! Dr. Farmer and Dr.Trapnell connect the content of the units to real-world examples and truly make the class interesting. You'll do great if you prepare for the exams and complete your weekly assignments!
Goes through way too much content each lecture in so much detail that's its impossible to study for exams. Exams are written in the worst way and very difficult. Has multiple weekly assignments due that just feel like busy work. Take a different professor.
Dr.Farmer gives out lots of assignments, and there are usually a few questions on the tests that are about super-specific parts of the PowerPoint. The workload was pretty crazy, but he is a super engaging professor who made me genuinely excited to go to the lectures. Study the PowerPoints and the weekly assignments because everything is fair game.
brilliant professor! his lessons are super interesting and engaging. can be a lot of material for tests, but pay attention and study powerpoints and you will do fine. lotsss of extra credit and assignments which help your grade. best of the professors for 1108! so glad I took this class.
Dr. Farmer was a cool guy, but the class is difficult. There aren't many grades, so you'd better do well on exams or you're not going to do well in the class. Unfortunately, his exams are super detailed. If you don't know a minor detail, you're going to get the question wrong. I like bio and enjoy the content, but wouldn't recommend him as a prof.
Farmer is a great biologist and def knows what he's talking about. Lectures were interesting, but were ALL OVER THE PLACE. You basically have to know every little detail on the PPTs if you wanna do well on the exams. Lots of assignments, but helpful because they boost your grade. Your best bet is to excessively study the PPTs before exams.
Dr. Farmer is a great lecturer and cares about his students' success. However, the one thing I cannot get past is that you will not know your grade in the class until after it has been put into the grade book. His criteria is clear but he curves it at the end making your final grade incredibly unpredictable. Overall not a bad class or professor.
Although some lectures were interesting this class was all over the place. We would be learning about kelp forests and then jump to the solar system. Exams were difficult and you needed to know the tiniest details from their 500 slide powerpoint. Tests are online in person with no lock down browser. Lots of assignments but they boost your grade.
This was the most boring class I took all semester. Dr. Farmer would assign weekly readings and videos for you to watch before class then recite the content back to you. Most classes were hardly interactive and offered little enrichment. I would try to find a better FYOS if possible.
Dr. Farmer is very good at making lectures interesting. Attendance is not required, but listening to lectures made understanding the material easier. Tests are made to trick you and are challenging (I got around a 70 on all of them). However, if you do all of the weekly assignments, they will outweigh the test scores. An A/A- is very possible!
This class requires a lot of work outside of the classroom. 2 weekly assignments due that are pretty easily graded. I made high 70s/low 80s on all the tests and still ended with an A. The weekly assignments definitely helped so make sure to do ALL of them if you can. Study every word on every slide!! The tests are very specific and can be tricky.
Pretty test heavy over specific things covered in class when lectures go over so much material. Other assignments are good to boost grade so as long as you do those you should be good even if you don't do the best on tests.
Lectures were interesting, because it was what they decided to lecture on that day/what they researched, but did not follow a clear outline for a unit. I did not do the best on the exams, but he and Dr. Trapnell adjusted grades at the end of the course. Study as best as you can for exams, do all other assignments, and you'll be just fine!
Farmer is brilliant. I dont recommend this class to those who do not enjoy biology but you will learn a lot. He curves grades at the end of the class which is nice but can be scary since you dont know where you stand. Weekly assignments balance out test grades if you do poorly. Lectures are posted so attendance isnt mandatory but recommended.
Dr. Farmer knows what he is talking about. The lectures aren't the most interesting because they are very theoretical. If you read through the ppts, you should be good for the tests and they aren't too difficult. There's no curve for individual exams, but he has a different grading method, so your final grade is curved a lot.
Lectures jump around more than the sock at a boy's sleepover. Tests also feel like he pulls the smallest numbers from the smallest footnotes in his slides. I haven't gotten grades from anything after week 3, we are approaching our 11th week now. He's a nice dude but on tenure and just glazes his coworkers and random things he finds interesting.
I'm not sure of my grade yet but he stresses if you are getting around the average on tests you will be fine. It can be a lot of out-of-class work but goes along with the material. I have learned a lot and he does his best to make information interesting. I think this course is more for people who enjoy biology and tend to get it naturally.
Lectures are ridiculously confusing and not cohesive. Tests are based on the lectures but I've studied my lecture notes for days before every test and I have yet to pass. There's other assignments to boost your grade but he's so far behind on grading them so I don't know where I stand. Avoid this class unless you enjoy stressing over pre requisites
Dr. Farmer's lectures are often very lengthy with tons of slides each day. Sometimes it can become confusing as to what is important and what is not, it seems all over the place. Five exams, assignments to balance grade out. He stresses if you make around the average your final grade will be in good standing.
I have given a 2 star rating for this deranged dude before but I was mistaken. He deserves a 1. I have just read a lecture where there is an entire scientific article results section posted in our lecture notes. This happened 4 times in ONE 80 slide lecture. We jumped from neurons to oil lamps to the ozone layer between 4 slides in our unit “kelp”
This class was really not that difficult, just attend lectures and review the slides before the tests. If you do the homework and attend lectures regularly, the train of thought throughout the lectures will make perfect sense. Dr. Farmer uses real-life topics to explain biology and does a good job showing how everything is connected.
i was worried going into this class with his ratings but i have genuinely really liked him and i learn so much im able to apply to everyday life. he teaches with cool fun facts and things you would never know. the tests are really difficult and the average is usually pretty low but he gives so many other points you can get an A with low tests.
Such a sweet guy but is not a good professor at all. I found my chemistry class to be easier this this one, and that's saying something. There is so much information but it's extremely disorganized and test questions will be on very, very specific details from the slides. You have to memorize every single thing he says. Do not take.
Dr. Farmer definitely isn't the best, but he isn't the worst. His tests are very hard, but he gives 10 points extra credit for each one and all the assignments you have bring up your grade A LOT. His lectures go on for a long time and there isn't time to write things down so it's more beneficial to take notes once the class is over.
The class looks decievingly easy from the syllabus, but what he doesnt tell you is that his exams are designed to screqw you over. Every question comes down to a very difficult 50/50 choice, the questions are very nitpicky, and the questions each have a very massive weight, making it hard to recover from a few missed questions.
this class absolutely TOOK ME OUT in terms of studying. there is so much to learn. i think i failed 2 tests out of the 5. the other ones i got low 70's. his tests are HARD. but, if you like to learn, take this class. i genuinely enjoyed his lectures because i learned something interesting every time. he is also very funny and relatable.
Worst class/professor I've taken at UGA so far. Despite studying a ridiculous amount for the exams I kept failing them. I emailed him because I was concerned about my standing in his class and he told me to "study harder" and did not offer any additional help. Grades curved at the end so I passed but I stressed way too much over this class.
Lectures were 70+ slides long. Exams too complicated, it didn't matter how hard you studied. Made 60s on every exam and barely ended with a B+. His teaching style is very discouraging and he offered no extra help. No study guides, no practice questions/exams, no going over exams, nothing. Do not take him if you actually want to learn something.
Everyone who said he curves the final grades a lot LIED because my final grade went up one point after the curve… Save yourself the trouble and just take Pucko instead or literally anyone else. Unless you enjoy classes where the test average is always 60-70.
worst prof i have ever had in my life. test prep includes reviewing hundreds of slides from which he picks a small detail to test us over. mark would always get off topic in class and talk about random things and you will see this in his ppts too. very tough grader and very test heavy. do NOT take this professor let this be your sign..save yourself
Mark's lectures were engaging and interesting to listen to... BUT! It was very difficult to study for his extremely hard, detailed (i swear he will ask for the smallest detail out of the 50+ powerpoint lectures) exams. the only material he gives are those slides and they jump around topics. curve is based on person w/the highest grade in the class
His class makes me want to yank my hair out. Each of his PowerPoint presentations sometimes has 50-70+ slides with so much unnecessary information. He also assigns weekly In the News, weekly PackBacks, and SimBio (each one is due before the exam). His tests can be challenging, which is tiring if you're trying to do well in class. Take someone else.
His syllabus seems very easy however when you get into the class it absolutely sucks. The test are very hard due to the fact that it is based off his lecture slides that are super difficult to read and jump around a lot. His test are also over super detailed parts of his lectures.
people complain ab the weekly busy work but it really wasn't bad. i did all the assignments (packback, in the news, simbio), extra credit opportunities, and made two Bs + two Cs on his tests and made an A in the class. all of his exams (besides the 5th one) had a group exam too. he's a really funny/nice guy but it's true that his tests are hard. GL
Our parents got 9/11, I got Mark Farmer. His tests are ridiculously hard and pull from the tiniest details of his 70-80 slide powerpoints so get ready to memorize all of that and then some- luckily, lots of other assignments balanced out the grade so 75s on all the tests are fine. Lectures were very interesting when he wasn't stroking his own ego.
The tests were very detailed and specific on lectures so make sure you study those. Otherwise, I thought the class was easy and he's lenient on attendance.
Mark Farmer is a fine professor; the class is just structured in a boring and work-heavy way. The ITN and Packback assignments feel very pointless, making each week drag by. The tests are very hard to study for because it seems like you have to memorize everything on the extensive slides. There is a curve, but you have to put in work to do well.
The lectures were definitely interesting and applied real world problems to the classroom. Extra credit was good too. I'd only say that the exams were a bit difficult due to the quantity of things to know. Things from the slides that I thought weren't relevant enough to show up on the exams showed up so that can throw some people for a loop.
Farmer's lectures can be hit-or-miss, but the assignments are surprisingly helpful. Tests are tricky, but the weekly work balances things out. unstuck AI was a lifesaver for review - great alternative to traditional study methods.
he wasn't my favorite. he didnt post slides before class and for some reason he didnt like students to write a bunch of notes during class. his tests were pretty hard but doable. he curves a lot so you will be fine and there is a small group test for every test day
The lectures are fun and interesting, but the tests are so hard! Make sure you stay on top of hw as well. He assigns hw for each unit on a website separate from ELC, so make sure you don't forget to check it (I did...)! While attendance isn't required, the slides he posts are really hard to take notes from if you weren't there for the lecture.
DO NOT TAKE HIM I took this class in the fall and im still mad about it. Everyone on rmp and with Dr. Farmer himself said he “curved the grades” at the end of the semester. Any guesses on what he did NOT do at the end of the semester… Curve the grades :/ if he did actually curve it, it had to have only been by like .5% smh
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
27%
Textbook Required
14%
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