3.2
Quality3.3
DifficultyN/A
Would Retake126
ReviewsN/A
Would Retake
126
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
126 total ratings5
28
4
37
3
24
2
23
1
14
What Students Say
“Sanders is a really good professor”
BIS101 - 4.0 rating“The material is challenging, but he explains the concepts well”
MCB10 - 5.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
100%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.32 avg changeRatings by Course
BIS101MCB160L
5.0
(1)MCB010
4.2
(5)FRESHSEMINAR
4.0
(1)MCB10
3.9
(29)MCB162
3.8
(4)Difficulty by Course
BUS191
5.0
MCB160L
5.0
BIS2
5.0
BIO101
4.8
ANTH113ANTH102
4.0
Reviews (125)
The material is challenging, but he explains the concepts well!
He explains things super well. He doesn't expect everyone coming into this class to have a detailed background in science. A really good guy.
Very clear explanations, easy tests.
No Comments
Great teacher, very clear
Too slow. Goes at speed of dumbest student, which is hopefully not you. Aced class with no book and no studying.
good, except for distracted half the time. raises his eyebrows too many times to count during lectures. overall nice guy.
awesome teacher-very clear
No Comments
he would be a good teacher if u can stay awake in class...he speaks quite slowly and can be quite repetitive...you often find yourself fishing for his main points or simply phasing out...overall, not a very hard class
One of the best classes I've taken. His tests were not too terribly difficult or surprising. Tests were straight from his notes, sometimes he even wants a carbon copy of a certain topic he talked about.
Great instructor. Good sense of humor. Discussion section is ESSENTIAL, so sign up for it.
Very interesting class. He is nice and willing to help, but try the TA first because they are always smart and they know what they are doing. Always go to the reveiw session. The tests require a lot of reading and problem solving which can get confusin
He's a really nice guy, but his lectures made interesting material boring. The exams weren't too hard, but he doesn't give any practice problems.
His lecture is clear but the exam is hard. lots of reading and problem solving. the book for the class is pretty well written though.
Horrible Teacher! NOt approachable.
Genetics is suppose to be easy and interesting, but this class is NOT. Although the exams are multiple choice, the questions are confusing, poorly worded, and totally out of the blue. His lectures don't help much and he has horrible TAs.
Make sure you get a good TA...lectures are pretty boring, but the book is clear. Tests were hard, but he curves generously. Don't buy the extra book on ethics, it's a waste of $$ because you never ever use it!!
this class would be easy if people who are SCIENCE MAJORS WOULDN'T TAKE THIS AS THEIR EASY CLASS. the curve is not that great thanks science nerds. its hard to stay awake in class too. just take this class in summer school
Nice Guy. Helpful at office hours. Lectures are pretty boring, but the good thing is that you dont have to read everything in the book. =)
This teacher sucks!!! He's incredibly boring and manages to confuse you on information you already know. Try your best not to take him.
I loved this class. Very interesting material and I enjoyed going to the lectures. TA's weren't the greatest, but I thought Prof. Sanders was really great. Tests weren't that bad, pay special attention to the problems done in discussion.
he is not a easy teacher. he explains materials very clear. his lecture is not too boring. BUT his tests are not easy. you really have to study for it. overall, he is a good teacher with difficult test.
Don't take this teacher!! His lectures are boring and unclear and when you ask a question in class it doesn't seem like he really cares to clear up the misunderstanding. Try your best to not take this guy.
This is one of the worst teachers I have ever had. His lectures are very boring and he doesn't teach you anything the book hasn't already said. Which, by the way, is horrible. He doesn't even use his own powerpoints. He uses the ones the book provides.
I am a genetics major and sometimes I fall asleep in this class- that is pretty bad- I like this stuff.
His tests are hard and the lectures are boring.:(
He looks like the colonel. nuff said.
Worst teacher ever. He doesn't care about his students, gets mad when aproached with questions, and doesn't give partial credit even though his test aren't multiple choice. He also doesn't accept regrades. If you can, aviod this teacher!!!!!!!!!
Unclear, finds a way to confuse you on things you already know, no regrades on tests and forget about partial credit. Take the other professor, whoever it may be.
Lots of bad experiences in this class: unclear and boring lectures, unhelpful teacher and TAs, hard midterms, wasted time in discussion, unfair grading, no payoff
Try not to avoid him for bis 101 if you wanan get a good grade in the class. His lectures are really boring and his exams are hard. The first midterm was just problem solving questions and he said it was gonna be the same format for midterm 2 but it wasn.t
I got an A in the class, but the material is pretty dense.If you don't keep up on the reading you can easily fall behind and play catch up the rest of the quarter.As for his office hours,I didnt think it was all the helpful it's easier to email him instead of waiting behind all those peeps
His lectures make the material seem so much more complicated than it is, so you spend a lot of time studying everything, and then nothing you studied is on the exam...and his TA's are so not helpful and they grade very meticulously. Rude and sounds frustrated when answering your questions.
Professor Sanders had a voice I couldn't put my finger on while I was in class (it drove me nuts), but he sounds just like Bob Villa! He's a nice guy and responded well to my complaint about a TA and took appropriate action.
His first midterm(prob solving) and the second midterm were totally different. (essay type concept questions, which were NOT even similar to his sample midterms). He is not unhelpful during office hours. I heard he was really mean to other students.
Shame that such a good school has such a poor prof. Does not care about teaching. Only prof I have ever felt compelled to review! Tests are not so hard. Not helpful,rude,v.sour personality,intolerant of questions. Never approached him during the entire course after seeing how he treated students.
he gets a bad rep cause he seems like a jackass, but he's hella funny when you talk to him. lectures are okay especially if you ask him strange questions. somehow he always knows. tests are pretty hard but not impossible. make him lighten up and he'll ablidge.
tests are just like homework questions. he is a good lecturer but he doesnt always go over how to solve certain problems. i thought he was a fair teacher.
He goes over the material very fast in class, he does not always clearly explain everything. Make sure you understand the concepts and can apply them to applied questions
His lectures were sooo boring, he goes into way too much detail when he didn't need to since he didn't even test us on half the stuff he talked about...discussion sections kept my sanity intact. Grades on a curve which was nice.
Warning: what are on the exams are actually the opposite of what he says. At first glance he seems like a nice, trustworthy professor, but I really got screwed on tests because I followed his word on it, and the tests were nothing like the practice tests. Basically, even though there was a lot of material, you have to know it all w/ him.
BORING. nice guy, but you could easily fit all of the material that matters from each lecture into a half hour instead of an hour and a half. i would try to get someone else if i could but if you are stuck with him just make sure you do the applied questions he reccommends and review the lectures and you should be ok(like in the B range)
He's not always clear but he does a very good job lecturing and conveying the material in a simplified manner.
Good proferssor. He made the subject interesting and fun to learn. He looked for new ways to help the students understand better.
take notes.. he writes on the board, get a front seat. nice guy, organized and approachable
He is an approachable professor who is very nice and organized. He makes things pretty clear and you can find him knows a lot if you are just randomly talking to him. The class I took is a freshmen seminar, so it is very easy.
He's a boring lecturer. He uses the blackboard primarily to draw attention to how the word is spelled in the event you don't know how to spell it. However, there are no decent notes that you can get out of the board except for a few topics and whatever he said that you wrote down (get a recorder!) His exams are pretty difficult if you didn't study.
pay attention in lecture and dont bother to take notes, just buy it from classical as it is almost impossible to follow him and take notes at the same time. he is a geneticist so he has particular liking to genetic problems.
The professor is a boring lecturer, but he is fair. I have heard other people say the other genetics teachers are awful. Study for his exams and you'll do fine -- his exams are fair. There are no tricks or hidden details.
His lectures are difficult to follow and sometimes seemingly off topic. However, his tests are fair, if you study the material in the book and in lecture you will do fine.
Very Fair Prof. Do the assigned problems. will help you alot on the exams. lectures aren't very helpful. focus when he's doing a problem on the board.
The material wasn't hard, but this professor is boring. Monotone makes people sleepy. Lectures are not very helpful and sometimes unimportant. The homework set does help. Didn't like the whole idea of his review test. But the tests are straitforward and clear.
i didnt have much problems with the class itself, but he talks rather sophisticated and even though he speaks english well, its pretty boring and hard to understand and times.
He has to be the most boring professor on campus. It is impossible to stay awake, especially if the class is in the morning. If you do manage to stay awake then the notes are where the majority of test questions will come from but Sanders will ask a completely irrelevant question from the reading which will be worth 10-20-pts on the exam.
tests are fair, cool guy
my favorite professor at davis so far. i wasnt too sure about choosing genetics as a major but he enriched my enjoyment of the subject. great guy. in lab he'll give you a good grade if you try. very approachable and he really knows what he's talking about and he knows how to teach the subject. i would take any class just because he taught it.
i am an international student and i had a hard time trying to understand him. he speaks perfect english but is very elaborate and its hard to understand sometimes.
very knowledgeable, but a rambler. tests are hard, it helps to read the book since he goes by it EXACTLY. labs are pretty good. easy class, curves large - i got a regular C on the midterms and ended up with an A after the curve! i would recommend. no paper
A really nice guy, but not always the best at clarifying concepts, although he does try. Very receptive to questions or comments from students. Do need to really read the book thoroughly to really understand concepts.
HE LOOKS LIKE COLONEL SANDERS FROM KFC! he is slightly funny at times, but he's kind of monotoned. it is so hard to stay awake in his class. my friend & i always bring LOTS of food with us to help us stay awake. once we run out of food, we fall asleep. sometimes we fall asleep while we eat. his midterms weren't so bad. his final was a killer though
Spent way too much time on history and ended up haviong to race at the end. Expectations are a little high considering the quality of the lectures(not very good) and the book (worst textbook I've ever owned). Grading policy borders on unethical and grades on tests relied heavily on which TA happened to grade your test.
Great Teacher!!!! Tests are about 80% from practice exams.
Tests were ok but mostly based on hw and some lecture material. Cannot miss 1 class. If you want a A then need to work super super hard. T.A were soo bad but nice people. He is really friendly and sweet when you talk to him. GREAT personality! I don't know my grade yet! but mean was 62 and 72 for the midterms. 72 was B-. Gives 10 pts at the end.
Average test score is around a 65%...not very clear...lecture is a waste of time. Not recommended. He does seem like a nice guy and a pretty good lecturer, but his tests are just killer.
He looks like KFC's colonel sanders. Haha. Difficult class. Pay attention to things he explains on the board. He's very monotone and boring. Its hard to stay awake. Very nice guy though. The final is VERY cumulative. Do the homework and make sure to understand every problem. The TA's weren't helpful. It was pointless to take the discussion.
spends too much time on stuff that's not on the tests! boring class! TA's taught this class better!
pretty clear during lecture, and podcasts helped for review. overall good teacher and interesting class. his tests were pretty long though, so you have to be solid on the concepts so you don't waste time during exams.
i went to all the lectures: a lot of material he babbled on about in lecture would not even be mentioned once on an exam. easy C class. some midterm questions came from the book, some came out of nowhere
Sanders is a really great lecturer but he will lecture really fast when he's running out of time on a topic. His tests are pretty difficult mainly because TAs are writing them who have no experience in posing q's. You have to read the book and do the problems. Office hours were not very helpful (he will not directly answer a q). Curve helps alot.
The hardest proff ever for genetics. He made me hate genetics. His tests hardddd. you can never know what to expect. if you could wait for another quarter to take the class do so, or take it with another proffessor. Also, he seems like a nice person but he'll actually scare a hell out of you if you ask a stupid question. so not recommended.
His lectures are clear, but you should do the textbook reading as well if you are not great at genetics. The tests are hard! They take a lot of critical thinking, not just term recognition so expect that when you study.
REALLY hard!!! Nice guy but the tests are extremely hard and random. He will test on any little thing that he says and so it's really hard to study for his tests! Do the extra credit for sure!!
I don't know why Dr.Sanders has such low ratings..I loved his class. it was lots of fun, and actually interesting. He is very helpful during office hours, and I pretty much got off with a B+ in every single test. His extra credit also helps a lot! I had a super super hot TA so that was a plus ;) i think he's the only professor teaching this course.
I really enjoyed this class, fun knowledgable professor who explains the material well. Test are tricky and difficult, STUDY HARD if you want to do well : )
Very difficult to take on. His midterms were challenging. I find the questions hard to take on. The TA's were helpful. Extra credit were grade boosters, therefore do it. Reading materials and his lecture were hard to understand because the midterms would not cover most of the things the book covered on. GOOD LUCK!
I love this professor. He is extremely helpful and funny. The course can be challenging if biology/genetics is not your thing. However, if you go to class, take good notes, read the book, and go to discussion you'll be okay. DO THE EXTRA CREDIT! It helps, alot. Overall, if you just do what is expected this class is an easy A. Ta's are helpful
Dr Sanders is an amazing professor who explains the material clear and is very approachable. The test are a little difficult so you must study. I would definitely recommend this class!
An authentically terrible professor -- Offers little to no help in office hours and tests you on tangential or book-related material. Segel-grade unhelpfullness, e.g. "You're seniors now, you should know this" when you ask for help or review sessions. A lazy professor, lectures out of slides from the book CD. Avoid this man if you can.
The key is to understand all of his handouts, and have a strong background in the subject. He may ask a question that he hasn't covered, usually basic genetics or biochemistry. Everything on the handouts will be on his tests, so read them and use the text to help you understand. I skipped most lectures and studied on my own, which was fine.
He gives out practice exams which is nice, except for the fact they are a *poor* representation of what the real exam looks likes. The average on the first two midterms was a 61%. He does curve which is nice, but all his exams are completely fill in, so they're pretty hard.
Sanders is a really good teacher; just make sure you sign up for the discussion and do the homework; they tend to come up on exams. The exams are fair, and curved, which is great.
Let me say that MCB 10 is a useless class; it reviews basic genetics without teaching enough to be helpful for an upper division biology class. But Dr. Sanders is a really good professor; his tests are fair, and he does his best to make the class interesting.
Genetics is not my thing, but the class is managable. He posts podcasts, so lectures aren't completely neccessary but be sure to read the book and use the study guides. He offers extra credit-definitely do them, they're super easy. Tests are all multiple choice and not that hard. Go to discussion (Amir is the best T.A.) it helps a lot!
Sanders is hands down the worst prof at Davis. He rambles for most of the class about nonsense and tries to cram all important info in the last 10 mins of class. His tests are incredibly difficult, the average on both midterms in my class were well below 60%. his grading is inconsistent and unfair. he and the TA provide no help in office hrs.
I took this sum 08, i came from a community college, so most of this class was review. class was interesting, sanders was easy to listen to. do the homework problems. overall not a bad class. i did take it in the summer though.
Sanders is a really good prof... tries to make the material interesting by showing that he really cares about it. Also not too hard, but does get really confusing sometimes, so stay on top of the material. Don't fall behind. Textbook came in handy, but I also learned so much just by going to lecture. Overall good prof.
he is a great lecturer. if u want to learn, take him. his english is very sophiscated n he is professional. provides lots of help- podcast, sample tests and answers. u MUST do sample tests n solve exercise problems in textbook for test! go to TA! Elizabeth and katherine were tremendoulsy helpful, kind and sweet. i learned a lot in this class.
He was like a talking textbook, he knew so much but couldn't dumb it down well. GO to DISCUSSION, GO to TA office hours.. they saved my life, and DO the practice problems. You do learn from discussion. The lectures are hard to understand, and hard to stay awake.
He lectured straight from the book but it was very important to attend class because he taught only a portion of the text. Whatever he didn't teach was not on the tests. Tests were hard but fair. His in-class examples were helpful.
He was very clear about what will be on tests- book practice problems and practice tests made the tests very predictable. Buy the solutions manual though. It's kinda impossible to survive without it. An A is definitely achievable though.
In short: no surprises, Sanders over complicates things in lecture, discussion is super useful and the review sessions are worthless. Most of the exam questions were pulled out of lecture or assigned book questions. Do homework/readings and understand and you'll get a good grade. Oh, 1 more thing don't fall asleep in lecture.
Challenging class but sanders is clear in his lectures and about what he expects
Sanders uses the CD out of the biology book as his "ppts" so you can't follow unless you write the figure numbers in your notes. Also he tends to give a lot of details on certain subjects that he doesn't test on but overall, study well, DO THE BOOK PROBLEMS, lightly read the text and you'll do fine. I didn't attend the discussions and I got an A.
Hard class, but the professor makes very clear what he wants. He is also very clear about what he is talking about.
Hes not a very good teacher to be honest, but if you read the book and get some of his old midterms you will be fine. He puts some easy questions on his test and then puts random experiments that he talks abt for 5 minutes. I found the classical notes for this class were very helpful.
Dr.Sanders sucks..he just talks forever,and barely writes so you have nothing to do during lecture, and eventually you fall asleep. For non majors, this class kicks a**..its horrible. The tests are hard beyond belief, and you have to have a strong scientific background to ace the class. The only positive: a large curve. AVOID this teacher.
Dr. Sanders is good at explaining concepts. However, in his case, it is not good to assume that there is a correlation between how much time he spends talking about a subject and how important it is for the test, so when taking notes, DO NOT MISS A WORD. Wording of questions is often tricky and/or ungrammatical. He does offer extra credit though.
My mistake was going into the class thinking that Sanders was really tough. His lectures are clear (and podcasted!) and his tests are straightforward. You NEED the textbook because his slides are basically figures from the text. His TA's are really nice and helpful, too.
The key to this class(and he will tell you this many times) is problem solving. There were some labeling questions on his exams and few surprise definitions on his final, but the majority of the points on his test were earned from solving problems. The problems on th exams were almost exactly like his practice problems. Lecture were slow and boring
Dr. Sanders' lectures are highly structured and easy to follow. Tests are made to be crystal clear. But when attendance begins waning, he gives (really easy) surprise quizzes. Sure it's boring, but that's what you get for being a science major. Overall, a great professor.
Sanders is 1 of the BEST lecturers I've had. He goes slow and covers the basics in case you forgot them (or didn't learn them). Lectures are long and tiring (BIS101), but if you listen to the podcasts he puts up you'll see he covers EVERYTHING. Exams are tough & require doing practice probs on your own. May sound rude cuz he's old but isn't mean.
Hey is the best lecturer. He explains the content real nicely and goes over everything just in time. Make sure you do the suggested practice problems he assigns over and over again and make sure you understand them and are comfortable with them. If you do that then you are on your way to an A... the curves are high in his class so study hard!
good teacher. material isn't easy, but he gives a generous curve. Discussion is super helpful if your ta is good. Do the homework and attend lecture and you should do alright.
Completely useless. I don't know what happened for the other classes but Sanders is a terrible lecturer. His organisational skills regarding his lectures is absolutely nonexistent. you will have better luck reading the book. One can read the book and attend lecture and then be completely and utterly confused. good luck
He is a INCREDIBLY AWFUL lecturer. the good reviews before are complete bull. I have done relatively well in college with As and Bs but his method of teaching and crappy lectures (no notes he posts) led me to fail the class. GOOD LUCK PEEPO
Lectures are good but dont really reflect what you need to know for the tests so READ THE BOOK!!!!
Prof. Sanders is a great teacher! He uses images from the textbook to help explain the concepts; you just have to take your own notes. If you attend lecture and go through the book to solidify your understanding of what he talked about in lecture, you should do well. Practice with the handouts he gives out and do the practice problems he assigns.
What a boring lecturer! Definitely read the selected chapters while in lecture. He doesn't grade exams accurately or fairly. Exams were also curved b/c avgs were 62% and 58%. Unacceptable avgs if you ask me. Study for the final by going over HW problems he didn't cover in the 1st two midterms. I would recommend taking this class w/ a different prof
HARD HARD HARD!EXPECT TO RECEIVE NO PARTIAL CREDIT ON EXAMS,,Bad lecturer very boring..you don't know how to study for the class cuz there's a million suggested hw problems and its impossible to memorize how to do each one!I FAILED!never happened to me before for a bio class!Very tough class Take someone ELSE!!
I didn't really like this teacher, because he talks really fast & uses powerpoints. However, he's clear and thorough when he goes through problems. Tests are straightforward, but you need to know your stuff. Not the best lecturer. 1 quiz, 2 midterms, and a final.
I don't understand the negative reviews. His lectures are completely straightforward and the exam questions come right out of the suggested practice problems. Do the homework and his handouts and you will get an A. I seriously can't believe that people complained that his class is confusing or hard, because if you just do the work, it's cake.
Very smart guy! not the world's nicest guy though. He's very clear. I found he's exams easy. I got a B+ but that's because I did very bad on the first exam. It's an interesting class, but you have to work hard, it's upper division! go to every class, and review your notes right after lecture = easy A
This teacher has no respect for students and is not willing to help you at all. I would strongly say to take with another instructor. Tests are graded unfairly and like I said if you are looking for a friendly or helpful teacher Sanders is not the guy.
I found Dr. Sanders to be a good lecturer and presenter of the material. He definitely knows his stuff. The grade is based on a take home quiz, two midterms, and a final. Read the text, study the figures, and do the suggested practice problems. I personally never spoke to him, so I can't say much about him in that aspect. Completely doable class.
Sanders is a really good professor. He makes it clear what he expects from his students. He said we would have 5 pop quizes, didn't up not giving any. Make sure you attend all lectures. For the midterms study all the lectures and suggested material from the textbook. Final is mainly new material, with some old. This class is not merely memorizing
take another prof if you can! class is extremely hard and he is very unwilling to help students! be prepared to study a lot!
Unhelpful, refuses to listen to student inquiries about wrongful grading, used a book and solutions manual he JUST wrote that's FULL of errors. He gave extra credit to students first to find errors in his books. We are NOT your free editors, Sanders. He refused to regrade my exam even though I had EXACTLY what was on the answer key. Horrible man.
Sanders is not a good professor. He knows his stuff (he wrote the book) but he doesn't convey the information in an interesting or effective manner. I really enjoy upper div bio but this class was a struggle to get through. He really enjoys talking about how he wrote the book, I just wish he'd spent more time writing it.
Lectures are simply the textbook in verbatim, which would be fine if his textbook wasn't horribly written and full of errors. On the plus side, tests were straightforward if you did the readings. Do not recommend.
Required Mastering Genetics, somewhat helpful. I didn't like his lecturing style; he talked as if he was reading out of a book (which is funny because he is the textbook author), but it was incredibly soporific. Try to get the most recent edition of the textbook because there are less errors. The 2nd midterm was specific; easy final. Do the hw!
Great guy and very mellow and straightforward with his lecture which is 100% each chapter he assigned out of the book he knows by heart! I would read the chapters before class and take notes/highlight in the book. Do the hw and tests no too bad because all written no mc. Overall loved the class and got solid A. Would take him again and recommend
His lectures are terrible! All he does is talk and occasionally write a few terms on the board (without definitions). He expects you to know every detail in his textbook. First midterm was easy, second was difficult, final was alright. Would not recommend.
His lectures were unbearable; at least for me. I eventually stopped going and just read the textbook (which he wrote. Hes a little unclear on what will be on the exams. First test is more math/probability driven while the last one and the final were more concept driven. The curve was good though. Overall, did not care for him as a teacher.
I took his intro to archaeology class and his magic, witchcraft, and science class and i have to say they were both pretty interesting. He is really into what he does and it comes out in his teaching. If you come to class and listen intently you won't really need to study for tests. TAKE NOTES. But you do need your textbook for the online quizzes.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
100%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.32 avg changeRatings by Course
BIS101MCB160L
5.0
(1)MCB010
4.2
(5)FRESHSEMINAR
4.0
(1)MCB10
3.9
(29)MCB162
3.8
(4)Difficulty by Course
BUS191
5.0
MCB160L
5.0
BIS2
5.0
BIO101
4.8
ANTH113ANTH102
4.0