2.2
Quality4.3
Difficulty19%
Would Retake239
Reviews19%
Would Retake
239
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
24
4
30
3
32
2
49
1
104
What Students Say
“Getting through Marys leactures without pulling out your cell phone should be an Olympic sport”
ANAT221 - 2.0 rating“It takes her a full month to grade one test”
BIO220 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
62%
Textbook Required
50%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.90 avg changeRatings by Course
GENBIOL
5.0
(1)ZOO280360
5.0
(1)ZOO474
5.0
(1)ENVSCI
4.0
(2)BIOL150
3.8
(5)Difficulty by Course
ZOO280
5.0
HAPITUE
5.0
HUMANANATOMYI
5.0
BIOL221L
4.9
ANAT210
4.8
Reviews (239)
Very friendly and accomodating. However, tests are difficult. Like her a lot.
Very easy class.
Arrogant condescending woman who used the class as a soapbox for her radical views.
Good class, I learned more than I thought I would. She is very helpful if you go talk to her.
Lectures are confusing. She rambles a lot;however, go talk to her and she will clarify.
her lectures are long and boring. I rarely understand what shes talking about and the tests are really hard.
She was always preaching. She wanted everyone to change, which is fine, but it's like she wanted to go back to the Stone Age for the sake of the environment-technology bad! I consider myself an environmentalist-NRM major-but she really takes the cake.
Her test are hard, but she is a very helpful teacher and will make you reach your potental.
her lectures are so long and often get off topic. she likes to preach a lot and it gets really really annoying. she's really nice if you need help or clarification on something..but the lectures are just unbearable.
Not a good teacher. Jumps around alot. Suchs for notetaking
not a good teacher. tests are hard. sucks taking her notes. not very interesting.
No Comments
A good teacher,she helps you if you don't understand something. Her notes get to be a little long.
This class seems very interesting but its so long and she doesnt put forth effort to make the class some what entertaining therefore making the class seem even longer.
She is kind of boring, but if you can stay awake and take the notes the class isn't that bad.
If you go to her for extra help - she explains it really well. Her notes are a good outline - but you have to read the chapters to do well on the tests. But her lectures are long and boring - she doesn't put in any extra effort to make them entertaining and she kind of babbles. She also teaches Anatomy - maybe she should put more effort into this!
Wow is she difficult! Be ready for tons of studying! The only good thing would be the numerous naps received during lecture.
Mary Jo Kenyon is the worst Bio teacher ever. She is often too worried about the 'guys talking in the back of the room' to teach. Also, her notes are the worst outline ever, and jump around like crazy. Her study guides for the test have nothing to do with the test questions. Boring lectures that are impossible to follow.
Lectures are boring, unless you're really into Biology. Majority of the test is over the notes, so going to class is pretty much required. She does give a good idea of what to study for, so if you hit the notes pretty hard and actually do some studying you can get by.
I am in both BIO 150 and 221 classes that she teaches. Her notes can be hard to follow and you MUST read the textbook (at least in 221) in order to do well in the class. Be prepared to attend all of the lectures and to study hardcore in order to earn an A in her classes.
Very good teacher. Lectures are very boring, but attendance is a must. To do well you need to read the textbook. Tough class, but she's very understanding and tries to help you understand.
She is ridiculous. Not a good teacher at all. She makes the class feel stupid for getting a badly written test question wrong.
Tough but fair. Must go to class and pay attention! Tests are difficult, but she will give help if you ask. Class and note outlines are not structured very well.
She is so difficult. Her test questions are mere guesswork, and she spends way too much time on the wrong matierial. She doesn't seem to understand that not everybody knows as much about anatomy as she does.
shes a bad teacher, the tests are painful
is a HORRIBLE TEACHER! doesnt help you with anything...went to ask for help and she didnt even help me! pretty sure u should find a new professor to take anatomy for!
She focuses on the most obscure things (what happens if your pH were to suddenly drop and how the class would react) and makes weird analogies (intoxication vs. parkinson's). When she is on topic, she's usually rushing through to finish and will claim it's already been mentioned elsewhere and skip 4 pages.
Mary's lecture was useless... Plan on learning EVERYTHING on your own.
Disgusting. She cannot instruct. I agree with every other negative comment. She needs to go back to square one with teaching. DO NOT take this class unless it is required for your major.
WORST PROFESSOR EVER! prepare to learn everyhting on your own with the textbook!lectures are pointless since the q's on the test are nothing like it...HINT: if there is ANYONE else available for both sequence then TAKE THEM!
Her lectures are useless. I quit going to class, read the chaapters and took my own notes. Never looked at hers or listened to a lecture... and guess what the tests were about? The notes that I took myself... either plan on doing everything yourself or get a new professor
She is very nice but you HAVE TO Go to class, write down everything that she says and scrape out thE grade that you can! Good luck!
Her lecture style is droll at its best and she tests like it is an upper level anatomy class in med school
The worst teacher I have had. I am a 3.8GPA student and I got a D in her class. Tests are not written well. I don't think she should even be able to teach high school. She only has her masters. Why would NDSU have her as the only Anatomy teacher?
Doesn't know how to teach. Worthless...
She sucks
She knows what she is talking about but teaches as if it were a higher level of anatomy, as if she assumes we know as much as she does. Tough class but you don't really have a choice. Try to keep up with it and read the book, even if she tells you test material comes only from her lectures..not true.
Don't take this class! Absolutely horrible. Incredibly hard. She's really smart but she doesn't understand that we don't know anything yet because it's suppose to be an intro class! Had to drop it so I wouldn't fail!
Worst Class Ever!!! Find any other way possible to get your anatomy grade besides from kenyon. Her tests are way above a 200 class level. She says she writes the tests in accordance with her notes, but her notes are worthless bullets too. Save yourself the misery of attempting this class.
People with alot of intelligence and gray matter shouldn't be teachers. Her lectures are of no use and you pretty much should just read the chapters and study independently thus still only getting a C as best. Don't know why this university keeps her on staff. We want to learn but not fair on the testing material.
This teacher needs to understand that this is an INTRODUCTION to Anatomy class. She would give us online assignments that were extremely difficult. Answers to these questions could not be found online, in lecture, in the book, or in the notes. After the second test, 20 kids dropped because there was no way they were going to pass.
Once again, i would highly recommend tri-college for the anatomy I and II classes. Every post you read after this is true. there is really no point in going to class unless you want to get a good nap in because her monotonous voice will put any caffeinated person to sleep. might as well just stay home and read the book.
Very difficult tests with boring lectures. Expect a lot of people to drop following the first exam.
This class demands a lot of attention. I feel like it is a "weeder" for those continuing on in the health field. But, if you do keep up and honestly try, you do end up learning a LOT. She gives lots of different opportunities to learn the material. Not a read the notes and take the test kind of class, but that's the nature of an A/P class.
I avoid taking her classes at ALL costs. She is the worst teacher of all time. She doesn't help students at all and it seems that she wants them to fail.
This was a pretty tough class, but then again it is human anatomy/physiology. Reading the book is a MUST. Her test questions will really keep you wondering, so read carefully and know your stuff. Most of the people who bash Mary just don't study enough. She is just fine as a teacher. Her class is challenging, but doable.
This class is hard there is no doubt about it. As a nursing student in the program even this class takes time getting use to. I recommend NOT going to class. Instead listen to her lectures online. This way you can pause it. DON'T rea the book. Listen to her lectures and take very detailed notes and memorize them, thats what her tests are on.
This class is very high maintenance for an intro class. Take it if you want a challenging general education class. Otherwise take anything else besides this.
First of all, who offers a course this hard with NO extra credit? I personally don't know. When I've been told from HER that the material on tests is ONLY what she goes over in class, I was a little excited. When I took all four tests and found out this is 0% true, I was pretty upset. I am failing and I'm not too happy. Rating: F. Enough said.
She really doesn't understand why the class average is so low. If you want an A in the class sure you can just try a lot harder but like the guy below me said for an intro class this is too much work for just an intro class. And no its not because its suppose to weed out kids because I know people that have taken it with an easier lady.
Do not go to class, listen to the online lectures so you can pause them and take down PRECISE notes. Her test questions are at a much higher level than her material, but if you understand the material you should be alright. You can do good in this class but prepare to work EXTRA hard.
Do not take this class if not needed. This class made me lose sleep and this was my second time taking it. Mary can be nice in person, but her tests are impossible to say the least. Going to class isn't necessary because she has online lectures but it wouldn't hurt. The material is interesting but the application is far to demanding.
Yea I would not reccomend this taecher to anyone. I'm taking AP II online through another college just so I dont have to deal with her lecture.
Basically everything said already about her is true. Her test questions are as if we understood physiology at the level she does, when this is the first time some of us have been exposed to the material. She needs to realize that we aren't going to be experts on the material in our first year
I took this class and was terrified when I saw all of the comments about her. She is really not that bad you just have to listen really well in class and take good notes, and she puts lectures up online so if you want to skip a day you don't miss anything. And she gives you essentially 50 free points with quizzes.
I used to agree that she was the worst teacher ever. But now (3rd time ive had her) its clear that shes not as bad as her reputation as long as you 1) Read the book! 2)Skip class but listen to the Online Lectures, that way you can pause and take notes 3)Do the review questions- if you can answer those in detail the questions on the exam are easier.
Disregard the two people below me. This teacher is TERRIBLE! I am getting an A in her class based purely on lucky guesswork! Studying her lectures helps slightly, but her tests are so much more detailed than that that it truly is pathetic! She has even been fired once only to be hired again because they couldn't find another teacher!! STAY AWAY!!!!
All of the ratings are correct. I was taking this class and had to drop it because i was failing due to her tests. It's not that she is a bad teacher, she does explain things well and go into detail, but when it comes to the tests, they do not have anything to do with what she taught. Don't take this class unless you HAVE to...
This class is horrible. I have never tried so hard just to fail on all exams... There is so much material that she covers that it is really hit and miss when studying the correct material for exams. I feel that her lectures are miss leading to what she considers important points. HORRIBLE!!
She is such a difficult grader and super confusing.
This class might as well be called Advanced Physiology. As if we don't have enough to study already, she throws in a written essay question that's a lot of points and expects us to go into fine detail. She gives a VAGUE hint on what the written question will be about and no study guide is available either. She needs to re-work her lesson plans!
This class is probably the hardest 200 level class ever.It is wayy to much work and takes a lot of time up.Tho the exams are extremely hard,just take good notes! She posts a lot of assignments and quizzes which are basically free points which you will NEED! Due dates are very clear. Overall, good professor with extremely high expectations. Goodluck
Be warned: this class (along w/ BIOL220) is A LOT of work. Kenyon brings a lot of information to lecture so it's crucial to attend (or listen to online). Her exams are difficult but pretty straight-forward. She assigns multiple online assignments which help prep for the exams. If you put in the time and effort, you can do well!
First off, this is NOT an introductory course. If you actually attend office hours or talk to her out of class, you would see that she is not just out to fail all of her students. I just wouldn't take it if you don't have to. It is a lot of work. The rumors about her aren't true either. Grow up. Your in college, its supposed to be challenging.
After retaking this class 2 years later, I managed an A. She offers LOTS of quizzes/online homework that are basically free points if you do them on time. Most of the content you need to know you learn by listening to pre-recorded lectures and reading her PowerPoint notes. In-class lectures just review that info but I definitely suggest attending.
It's anatomy and it's SUPPOSED to be difficult! Format has been changed a lot since past reviews were written. There was a lot of extra credit offered in my class. I never listened to online lectures because I have ADHD & that doesn't help me learn. The learnsmart modules basically made the class for me. NO 1st year should take this, though.
She gave out a ridiculous amount of extra credit this semester. I know a lot of people didn't even have to show up to the final exam because they had well over 100% in the class and could afford a zero and keep their A. I thought Kenyon's teaching style was very good and the online lectures were really useful. Super easy A!
Mary Jo is an excellent professor. A&P is a very complex subject to teach. She does a thorough and impressive job of making the material a lot less foreign and a lot more understandable to us students. This class takes ample amounts of time & commitment, and Kenyon is willing to work with you every step of the way. Work hard & you will succeed.
The amount of material you need to know for this class is obscene. Very difficult for a 200-level class and feels very disorganized. Be prepared to teach yourself and to have to go into the lab every once in a while to do extra work because you can't even finish it in the 3 hours you're given every week.
Mary seems like a nice person, but her lecture is useless and doesn't help you with the quizzes or exams, she doesn't explain her notes well enough, and she talks too fast. Highly recommend taking this class online or somewhere else.
TERRIBLE INSTRUCTOR!
She is the WORST teacher I've ever had. I strongly suggest taking this online with a different teacher, or institution. A very friendly person, but a horrible teacher. Doesn't teach material at all.
SHE NEEDS TO BE FIRED!!!! AWFUL! I'm a 4.0 student and I'm getting a C at best in the class.
This teacher is awful. Seriously and I am smart. I get As. I mean I still got a B but that is because I worked my butt off to understand it and watched YouTube videos. On the final, she completed changed the test format from writing to drawing pictures. She does not work with you at all if you miss class. And I only missed twice for a funeral.
If you take this class expect to be frustrated! Anatomy is a difficult subject but she only made it worse. It took me all semester to figure out how to study for her tests only to have it completely changed on the final. Her lectures were completely dull and did not help me at all. You will be teaching yourself!! The book will become your bff!
M.J. gets a lot of grief from students. But guys, A&P is a hard subject. We can't blame Mary for that. She really focuses on what she wants for the exams. Yes, this class requires a lot of time commitment, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you will get through it. If you go in for office hours, you should easily get an A.
Mary Jo is awesome, seriously in a small setting she is great! Herpetology is super fun and rather easy, except for the research paper but she's determined everyone get an A. I should have gotten a B but she curved so I got an A :) She is really easy to talk to and the field days were awesome.
Anatomy and Physiology is a very difficult class with a lot of information. Mary Kenyon simplifies topics and makes it a lot easier to understand. She is very flexible if anyone needs some extra help. The written exams this year made it easier to show understanding on exams. Overall - great experience.
This class is the biggest joke ever. As somebody whos passionate about anatomy,and whos major requires a good deal of it, I can honestly say this class makes me want to change my major so i dont have to take anatomy. DONT TAKE IT FRESHMAN YEAR!!!
Do not take anatomy and physiology with her. Anatomy and physiology is a tough subject but she makes it SO much harder. Her exams are nearly impossible you are lucky if you get a B; an A? no chance. She takes forever to grade the exams, unnecessarily long time. Just take it somewhere else or online. Not with her.
Kenyon expects a lot from her students. Anatomy and Physiology is a hard class to begin with. Prepare to put in time and effort. She is very helpful if you take the time to seek out her help. She focuses on the topics she wants you to know- so KNOW them. Best of luck if you take this class! It's by no means easy.
She's a nice lady but if you expect to get test grades back within a week, forget about it. It might be up to a month or more.
Without a doubt the worst professor I've had in college. Not good at explaining how things like voltage gated channels and synapses. Takes an already difficult class with difficult material and turns in into an impossible to understand. Tough grader. Take this course during the summer when you WON'T have her. Don't take as a freshman.
She is a great lady. The tests are hard. But as long as you pay attention in class and watch her tegrity videos and take notes, go the the LAs, and study a lot, you'll do great. I definitely study a lot of this course. But the information is interesting. Go in a talk to her also, she is great.
Tough class and not a respected teacher
Tough class, you definitely have to do the reading and watch all of the lectures again on tegrity. She makes the tests very hard, but makes up for it by having at least 5 tests along with a few assignments that count as test points. The assignments saved my grade in the class. Also go and talk to her, she is super nice and always willing to help.
Mary Jo does not have a good reputation on campus, with that being said she is a great instructor! People are bitter, but Anatomy is a tough subject and she wants you to learn the REMEMBER the material! She gives out plenty of points over the semester, so if you show up, and study (like you should) you will get the grade you want. She is a gem!
The tests are tough. This isn't a class where you can just scan through your notes before a test. Read the book, re-watch the lectures, and know the material in and out. Sometimes you have to think beyond the information she's given you and be sure to be as specific as possible on the tests.
most amazing teacher on campus.. when you are willing and ready to work with her, she is willing and ready to work with you too.
She is so annoying. In order to do well in her class you need to read everything she tells you too, watch all of the lectures over again, and know what is going on in every part of the diagrams she draws. Try to take this class elsewhere but you can do it if you put in the time. Lots of time. Attendance isn't mandatory anymore but go anyways.
This class is challenging! The written unit exams are very in depth and you only have a day or two to write them. They end up being at least a page for each question but usually more. She is very helpful and is very good at answering all of your questions within a short period of time. Reading the book is a MUST!!
Her exams are extremely difficult and what she goes over in class does not prepare you for the exams at all.
She makes the exams very difficult. Expect there to be small details very small.. She makes you think and choose between similar answers
Her exams are extremely difficult do not take this course unless you need to, and if you do have to take this course be prepared to study for several hours
She's Terrible. DO NOT take. Her notes are just diagrams and they do not help to study for tests with. Nearly impossible to study. Way too much hw that doesn't help for test and is worded stupid, when its not copied off of other sites. IF you have to take one of her classes try to take online or somewhere else.
Kenyon is one of the worst professors I've had at NDSU. Lots of homework that doesn't go along with her lectures. Tests are awful. Assigns homework during the holidays and expects it due the Monday after the holiday is over. Doesn't lecture equally among her MWF and T/Th classes. Doesn't reply to emails. You need to rewatch her lectures to pass.
I'm confused at why people struggle in this class. MJ is one of the best instructors I have had at NDSU. She really wants us to learn the material & her door is ALWAYS open. Her MC exams you do have to think through, but they will prepare you SO WELL for grad school entrance exams (MCAT, OAT, DAT, etc). She also offers a ton of EC. Don't be lazy!
Mary's exams are difficult, but it is possible to get an A. Most people will immediately say she is a horrible instructor, but she gives you all the information you need for the exams in the drawings that are done in class. To prep for the exam, go back to the tegrity lectures and redo all the drawing again. This is essential to getting an A.
I loved this class! Lots of pics and diagrams used in notes that made a full circle with the material. Going to the LA study sessions were essential and they help out A LOT with homework! Tests more so on her lecture content than the book. She gave a bunch of EC in class and getting an A was super easy. You just have to put in a little effort!
Mary Jo gives three multiple choice exams during this course. Each multiple choice question has five options, two or three of which are correct to some extent. At the top of the test it says "choose the BEST answer." All of the "correct" answers are based on her lecture and her opinion, not the book and its facts. Watch the tegrity videos!!
I have had her for biol220 and 221 she has changed how the classes are structured with both classes. Class never starts on time, the actual lecture material is good however she doesn't use real diagrams, she uses ones she makes up. The book is no help, and any nomenclature you know is wrong because things are named after who discovered them.
Mary Jo is incredibly kind and understanding. If you talk to her about a problem, she will help you to the best of her ability. However, the class itself is difficult. Be proactive in studying, or your grade will drop quickly. She seems to be changing up the format of her classes every semester to try to help students, so be prepared for changes.
Mary changed her class structure from last semester. I was struggling to keep a B last semester and now I will get an A this semester. As usual, her exams are based purely on her lectures & powerpoints. The textbook is not necessary, just buy Mastering A&P alone. Overall, she can be frustrating but I would say her class has changed for the better
Mary Kenyon is extremely nice, and she will be so helpful if you go to her personally. BUT, I cannot stand that she's so unorganized. She will only give you a couple days notice of when a test is, and she surprises you with a ton of homework, making it really hard for the ones who are taking a lot of classes. Horrible compared to MSCTC professors
Not too impressed with my first time attending office hours.. very unorganized and doesn't manage time well.
There is no real way to prepare for her tests other than going to lecture. Read what she tells you to, do your homework and this class is an easy A. She makes you work with groups, but you get to know some people and its not bad. She is funny and will help if you ask for it. She sets you up to succeed.
The class is pretty easy since she makes the lab super hard. She is very unorganized and takes 3-4 weeks to grade a test. Tests are all short answer. She is known to change her teaching style every semester.
Mary Jo is very helpful & friendly. There's a lot of info for just two semesters, so the content load itself is not her fault. She tries to organize it in a way that's easy to retain and is always availible outside of class. Grading is not tough. There's a rubric and standards she gives out - straight forward. If there's a discrepancy, talk to her
Kenyon doesn't grade tests for at least two weeks, has unclear expectations for tests (which are all essay), and isn't very organized. Take with someone else if possible unless you're prepared to study a ton.
Does not provide notes in a basic lecture format. The only "notes" you get from class are diagrams with no words on them so you have remember what was said weeks prior when exam time rolls around. Exams are all essay questions. Very vague questions make the exams seem easy but she hires graders and then grades very specific. Nice person bad teacher
Mary Kenyon is an awful professor. After getting a C last year I decided to retake the class to try to get a higher grade, nothing changed. She is very very very unorganized. Class never starts on time. Her entire lecture consists of diagrams with no actual notes to go off of. Tests are super vague, but graded as if she asked for insane specifics.
It takes her a full month to grade one test. At one point she was two exams behind on grading and we were a week away from taking our final. She tells us we will make many clicker points and by the end of the semester were lucky to even have a handful of them. She has been put on probation for so long and I don't know why she is still a professor.
Mary Kenyon is a nice woman, however she is not the best teacher. Her lectures are very vague, and she takes a very long time to grade your exams. I argued back points for almost every exam since her LAs would grade a lot of the time. The lab is harder than the lecture. Anatomy is a difficult subject to teach/learn, but she doesn't make it easier.
Takes a long time to grade anything and very unorganized. Will post assignments and quizzes on a Friday night without warning and expect them to be turned in by Sunday at 11:59. Very hard to reach via email and she rarely responds.
Tests show up 3-4 days before they are due, on anywhere from 1-3 chapter of the book. I make 20-50 page study guides for every test and have never managed an A. The questions are all insanely specific on things you will not need to know, none of it is on general/broad understanding of the subject... so frustrating.
This class was so frustrating. Her tests are all essay questions but they're so vague you hardly ever know how to respond. It takes her forever to grade them. I never learn anything in the lecture. The only reason I know what I'm doing is because of the lab.
In this class the learning is up to you. I have spent hours rereading the chapters in my textbook before quizzes, yet I nearly fail every single one. The questions are just too specific with no clear answers in the textbook. Don't skip a single assignment from this teacher, because you'll need every point possible to pass the course.
Tough class, tough teacher. This class separates the doctors from the janitors. You need to commit yourself to it. If you try to wing it, you will come back and rate her 1/5 on here.
If you don't put in effort, you won't pass this class. Yes, she can be vague, but as long as you understand the concept and explain yourself, you will get full points on exams. The exams are entirely lecture-based, no textbook. Don't skip lecture, there's also participation credit to be earned. I really enjoyed her overall, I will miss this class.
I didn't get emails back when had questions about assignments or about when I was gone due to specific reasons.
Her tests aren't hard. As long as you look at the diagrams and the review powerpoints you'll be fine. She rambles on and lectures are pointless. However, in class points make them necessary. She doesn't get back to you via email so only office hours. She does let you redo assignments and even will bump up your grade. Good person. Bad teacher.
I spent 1.5 week to study for the test. Went to the review session, got all multiple choices correct. Yet I got 20/60 for my first exam. You have to understand everything and how it works, not just learn by heart from the book. She posted exam question sample 1 day before exam, but it's still very confused about what's going to be on the test.
The class is not easy, but she works hard to help you understand the difficult concepts. I stopped by her office hours when I had questions about our class and she was very helpful!
Mary really cares for her students. The difference between an A and B is going into office hours to get feedback on your exams. They are all essay questions and require specific ideas get points. She has over 300 students in the class so expect to wait in line for office hours. There is class activities every day that really help the your grade .
Professor Kenyon is a very supportive, kind and excellent at teaching. Her teaching style is different, but very productive. She does not expect you to know all the small details and facts, but she wants you to know the big picture and make connections between different concepts/chapter she taught. Currently in her class n loving it!!!!
She only taught with diagrams and many students are not visual leaners so it did not work for me, she doesn't offer much extra credit and the exams and she doesn't grade easy. She never replies to emails and is rude. Wish I would've spent the extra money and taken the online class.
This course was probably the most difficult course I've taken so far. Kenyon mainly uses diagrams in class, which doesn't help the people who aren't visual learners. Most of the grade you receive comes from tests, which she is slow to grade, so you may not know what you got on the previous exam when going into the next one. I would not recommend.
Grades for tests would take months to get in, we wouldn't have our previous tests back before we had to take the next unit exam. Her teaching is the way SHE likes it&what is easiest for her. She does not care if students pass/fail. She also sent a nasty email to students regarding grades&hardly responded to questions. Would not take again with her.
Takes weeks to get test grade back. Usually, you won't know the grade from you last test before you take the next one. Exams are weighted extremely high. Class often starts ten minutes late. Mary just shows the class a bunch of diagrams and expects students to remember what she says about them. Doesn't provide a lot of written notes with diagrams.
Getting through Marys leactures without pulling out your cell phone should be an Olympic sport.
Her tests are essay based however if your study they are very easy and i actually prefer her essay tests over multiple choice. You can visit her during her office hours and she will likely give you points back on tests. A lot of people hate on her but she's actually a homie.
I took the course online and got all of the work that her inclass students get minus the lectures. The course is strictly work through perusall and mastering. It is a lot of work to keep up with the piling expectations.
Keyon is a good person, just not a good teacher. Class is focused on very basic and vague information about functionality of body. Tests are NOT this vague and basic however. Assigns a LOT of homework and quizzes, which are then super specific and based on readings. Doesn't grade in timely fashion, so no good feedback is EVER given. GOOD LUCK LOL
Is not elaborate on a subject taught. Does not teach very well
Mary Kenyon was a great teacher when you talked to her. In her lectures, her material was basic at best. The exams, however, were like taking entrance exams for medical school. They were all essay. GOOD LUCK.
She wont curve grades due to her wanting to have it be off of learning but she also wont ever admit that maybe she is wrong like having to broad of questions on the multiple choice tests which are very difficult honestly she doesnt care about her students endless they make her look good
You wont get your test back until at least 2 weeks later Lectures are all visuals and drawing: NOTHING LIKE TESTS Be prepared for a written exam once a week Gives out homework and reading assignments 4 days before its due sometimes gives you homework 24 hours before its due People say taking the online class is easier but she still teaches it
Takes ALONG time to put grades in the grade book. Test are all essays. Her lectures are based on diagrams that barely anyone understands. Says the it is a flipped class and the textbook is your lecture but also says not much is retained from reading.? Assigns a lot of homework and waits till the Friday before to post homework that is due on Monday.
While she probably means well, Professor Kenyon is a terrible anatomy teacher. She expects the students to know the material prior to lecturing about it, like we are supposed to be professionals in the field. She takes forever to grade her tests, which are essay based. She can be very passive-aggressive to her students and lectures are very boring
Since this class was online she would sometimes go a week at a time without sending out any information which was really frustrating. One of our tests was due October 26 and she still has not graded it and its December. Super frustrating not knowing my updated grade a week before finals. All tests are long essay style.
Mary Jo is one of the greatest professors/educators I've ever had. She cares so much about her students & wants us to succeed. Mary Jo definitely makes you earn the grade you get. Much of the grade is from written exams held every other week. Her lectures can get long winded, but pay attention because everything said in lecture will be on the exam.
Mary Jo has good intentions but some people really are not cut out for teaching. I would describe the teaching style as dysfunctional at best. Course materials were unclear and oftentimes posted just a day or two before being due. Overall I wouldn't take a class from this woman again.
Mary is one of the worst professors I have had. I learned more from youtube videos in one night than I learned from her and her Lab TAs in one semester. If you have to take this class you will have to teach yourself. The tests weigh extremely heavily on your grade for lab and lecture and if you don't do well on them your grade suffers dramatically.
Lectures are needed to understand info but will hardly be on exams. The textbook and lecture information has little help when studying for exams which are worth the biggest chunk of your grade Homework is often put out late with a few days to complete compared to weekly as promised CrashCourse is the only way I was able to slightly pass
Getting an email response from her is one of the most rarer things ever. Shes so lecture heavy but so boring that you honestly go to class to not feel guilty about skipping. She sometimes will do participation points to try to get more people to attend class but I wouldnt say it helps a lot with your grade. Grades are weighted heavily on tests
This was the most difficult biology classes I have ever taken. She relies a lot on lecture but requires that you read and annotate the textbook as well as doing the mastering assignments that she posts. Her test can be very difficult because the wording of her questions are unclear so beware of that. The TAs are very helpful however.
Grade is test based. The TAs that teach this class are either good or not depends on who you get. Most will make time to help you outside of class if need be. I definitely recommend using Netters anatomy coloring book off of Amazon to help you study. Theres not any homework given besides mastering so it can be hard to study for this class.
Mary Kenyon was one the hardest professors that I have had to take a class with. Shes nice when you go to her office hours but her class is dysfunctional. She would never tell you how many questions were on the exam and studying for exams were very difficult. The homework was always given only with a few days to do them. Online was easier.
Mary Kenyon is notoriously known for being one of the dreadful professors at NDSU. I know people who had her 10 years ago who will say the same thing. She takes advanced and difficult concepts and attempts to reword it so that online search engines have a difficult time finding the answers. She is over confident in her teaching abilities. Monotone
Taking her class was easily one of the worst things I've done. The time you need to dedicate to studying outside of class is beyond stressful. Having 1 or 2 readings due in the same week, the same number of mastering assignments that range from 20-25 minutes up to 65-80 min, and a blackboard quiz every week. Do yourself a favor, look elsewhere.
I did well because Im very familiar with Kenyons exam format and the amount of work you need to do to get an okay grade. If you take a few hours out of each week to go over the material and utilize online learning, you can do well in both lecture and lab. I would NOT recommend only learning from Kenyon herself.
Professor Kenyon is a nice person overall, but when it comes to lectures, she is monotone. There are 1-2 Blackboard quizzes, 1-2 Perusall chapters to annotate, and 25-80 minutes of Mastering assignments each week, so lots of homework! I studied for 5-10 hours for each exam and got a low grade. This class should be a Level 300 class instead of 200.
Her powerpoints have a lot of pictures and not many words describing how things work. Tests are 70% of your grade. She is very monotone and is boring to listen to. Go to her office hours if you have questions.
THE WORST PROFESSOR I HAVE EVER HAD! This class is so test heavy for your grade. Go ahead and get 100% on all assignments. It wont help your grade. Email her. Who knows when you will get a response. Ask a question trying to figure out what to do better with the class. Everything not going well is your fault. Test questions are pulled from her ass.
She is honestly a really good professor but this class is so hard. She has office hours where you can go in and ask questions. before each exam she does a review session. If you don't do good on your exams, you won't pass.
This women is one of the sweetest people ... not teacher. Her lectures are her sitting there describing a drawn out graph that she created. The graphs are basically the same to what the book has except she slaps them all into her own mess. LOVES to give you questions that will not help you on quiz/tests. Asks very specific questions that are bad!
Exams are nothing like material given to prepare for them. Assigns a ton of homework worth little to nothing for your overall grade. Does not answer questions well.
The exams were impossible to study for and nothing in class was useful for the test. She was hard to get a hold of and took forever to respond. Communication was not good and it was very overwhelming.
Tests are weighted to be 70% of the overall grade. There is a good amount of time-consuming assignments that do not help you for the test. Lectures do not help at all - she lectures on diagrams that will not appear on the test. She quizzes on the most minute details -- never the big picture. Her study guides are never the test content. Good luck.
horrible lectures. She doesn't have good flow in her lectures and the PowerPoints don't really line up with what she says. Her tests are highly specific and almost impossible to study for because they way she words her questions is almost incomprehensible. Also, she assigns hours and hours of homework that do NOTHING to help prepare for the test.
Kenyon is a very nice person and she has a passion for what she teaches. Her exams are based on very specific details that sometimes are no where to be found in either the book or lecture. If somebody asks a question? Immediate 15 minute side tangent thats not going to even be tested on. She has made my last year a complete hell. Good luck!
The material is in-depth but not extremely difficult. Take the class somewhere else. All the work surrounded by exams doesn't count, nor does it prepare you for her exams. Gives little credit for essay answer's but can get back some points in office hours. Hard to follow lecturer.
This professor assigned a lot each week, not including the lab work. Each week for the anatomy lecture alone was about 10-12 hours of work and about 4-5 assignments. The lab was just as difficult, and the reports took hours to finish. Her tests were hard to understand, and she wasn't very clear on a lot of topics. Her office hours didn't help too.
Doesn't answer emails. Doesn't grade in a timely or consistent manner. Doesn't have a consistent exam style, switches it up every time. Doesn't care about students or their success. She's a terrible, terrible professor and I would recommend all future students to AVOID.
SO MUCH HOMEWORK and it doesn't help your grade at ALL. Exam structure is different every time and gives next to no points for essay answers. I have four level 400 classes and this 200 level class is EXPONENTIALLY more difficult than those courses because of her terrible grading/exam structures. Good luck to anyone who attempts this course.
Professor Kenyon is honestly the worst professor I have ever had. It seems like she takes joy in watching her students fail. The online quizzes and assignments aren't necessarily hard, but there is A LOT of them. Tons of easy homework that doesn't help your grade at all. Her exams are AWFUL. If it was possible to rate a professor at a 0, I would've
Ngl taking this class made me cry a few times it was very frustrating. If it wasnt for YouTube I wouldve failed this class a second time. Also the lab was a little harder I dont think its fair that we had to fill out 10+ diagrams and only get 20 points for all our work. Try this class at your own risk because these reviews dont lie.
If it was possible to rate a professor at a 0/5, I would. Mary Kenyon is a TERRIBLE professor. She is awful at responding to emails, her exams are impossible, and she doesn't care about her students. Take this class online somewhere else. You will honestly probably have a better understanding of the material and will actually have a chance to pass!
Mary Kenyon is a horrible professor. I am currently 6 weeks into her class and she has yet to upload an assignment or grade on time. It is not uncommon for her to forget to post an assignment until 3-4 days after she announces it. She also had an incorrect answer key on the first exam and had us retake it entirely. BAD!
I promise you that this A was the hardest A to ever get. I worked my butt off for this and I spent around 30 hours a week with doing all of her assignments both in lecture and lab. I will say that "Mastering Study Portal" will help you with your exams. REading and taking your personal notes will help too.
If you have to take anatomy don't take it with her you will regret it. She tells you about tests 4 days before they happen and makes them at the same time as your lab exam so you cant study well for either. she likes to pretend that she is being thoughtful about when she makes your exams but doesn't actually care about it. 10/10 would not recommend
This is by far the most difficult class that I have taken. She goes on useless tangents every class period, and her delivery is incredibly irresolute. The tests are unfairly weighted even though we have so much homework. My grade went from a 95% to a 90% after getting a C on a test. Literally, cannot not recommend a class more.
Worst professor I have ever had. She is monotone, and her lectures are extremely boring. You NEED to pay attention in lecture because she includes the smallest details in her exams. Exams are unfairly weighted for how much homework is required. She does not seem like she cares about her students succeeding. Don't take if you don't have to.
Upon looking at the other reviews, it is really disappointing to report that nothing has changed. I am not rating her as a person, but as a professor there is a lot of improvement that needs to be done. My grade in this class does not reflect the amount of work that I have put in. I would suggest not taking this class if you don't have to.
Honestly the worst professor I have had in my 4 years at ndsu. Your grade does not correlate to how hard you work. Prepare yourself for the worst lmao.
She is the worst professor I have ever had. We had 6 total exams, none of them based on lecture (except for the smallest things she would mention). Your grade does NOT reflect how much WORK you put into this class. The lab was just as hard. Do not take this class if you don't have to.
Professor Kenyon is very knowledgeable and helpful. The content is super difficult, though, so it requires a lot of work and accountability
Currently, the end of the semester and I don't even know if I'm going to pass this class. Doesn't care about you as a student, and it's almost as if they want you to fail. There is a reason she's been fired before. When you think of reasons to not go to a university, this is exactly why you shouldn't. This class made me reconsider my major, sadly.
This class made me want to switch majors. She assigns tons of homework & tests. Tests are beyond difficult. Don't do good on a test? Won't pass. She doesn't care. Some of the stuff on the test we haven't even learned. The lab was an absolute chaotic mess and I taught myself everything with 0 help. I had multiple breakdowns. AWFUL! DON'T RECOMMEND!
You have to spell everything right to get points on exams. There is so much homework and it barely affects your grade. If you are a bad test taker dont take the class. Acts like she cares but is too sensitive to take any criticism. So much work for the lab that is worth only one credit and you have to watch two hour videos before even going.
Don't take her class at ALL costs. Go to a different school. She expects the most out of us, but then takes weeks to grade a multiple choice exam. Very hypocritical, and has little concern for the fact that this is not our only class. Don't even get me started on the lab... WASTE OF MONEY
Exams are worth 65% of your grade. Take somewhere else.
I don't agree with most of the ratings on Mary Kenyon. She is a good professor but is dragged down by the difficulty of her content area. Disgruntled students can make her seem awful with these ratings but she's not. TAs in lab have been good so far and the course is very straightforward from start to finish. Just LOTS of work so keep that in mind.
It is almost as though this professor does not realize/care about students outside of her own class. Her exams are unbelievably difficult. She treats this class as if it were a 400 level class, lots of busy work that does not help with exam prep. She has about 5 assignments due a week, on top of 4 hours of class time. Impossible to study for exams.
Difficult and no flexibility in due dates. Forgets that we are humans in a class that is about the human body.
I will keep it short and sweet, in my close to fours years at ndsu i have never meet a teacher as worst as Ms. kenyon. This will be my third time taking her class and at this point i don't know if it is worth it, Her exams a based on knowledge on pictures and making sure that every answer you put down is written correct with no exceptions.
Lab is very tough. Study very hard.
The worst class I have experienced as a nursing student. She tries her best but the class is way too hard and don't even get me started about the lab. The lab TA's are great but she makes them look bad. She cares about spelling way too much. When learning anatomy and hormones that are 14+ letter wrong it should be ok to misplace a word or two.
Don't do it. As a nursing student, it is the worst class I have ever taken.
If you can take anatomy elsewhere, I would. Lecture and Lab are exam heavy and are most of your grade. You need to study ALOT. If you misspell a word by one letter you get docked partial points. You have to be perfect with everything for her class. She expects a lot from you. It's way more advanced than you think the class should be.
Mary does try her best, but the course work is heavy and you have to study extremely hard to do good on the lecture exams. For the lab, quizlet is your best friend and go to open lab times. Open lab is the only reasoning I am succeeding in that class. Lecture exams are a lot of applying the knowledge you have, so know how to apply the material.
Im a psych major and I was told that I could take an online anatomy class for a general. I took an anatomy class in high school so I thought I would be fine. I was wrong. Its the hardest class Ive taken in college so far, harder than any of my major or minor classes. Its ridiculousFirst of all, this is NOT an anatomy class(Contin other review)
She made a quiz and mastering assignment that took me an hr and half to do, due on Easter Sunday.
Don't take the lab unless you have to. Most questions are things to identify on model and she will point to things that have at least 2 correct answers, but if you dont read her mind, you arent getting it right. Wrote her an email week ago and still hasnt got back to me. Terrible and unclear wording of the few questions that arent on models.
This was literally the worst class that I have ever taken. She does not do her job and does not care about her students 0/10 would do again.
I don't understand all the criticism. As a bio major, this was one of the easier bio courses I've taken. The lab should be more than one credit for all of the effort it requires, but that's on the school and not the professor. The lectures are informative and as entertaining as they can be. Homework is heavy, but also relevant to exam questions.
She doesn't hand out grades and expects you to put in the work and effort to acheive a good grade.Make use of her office hours and show that you're putting in the work and she will be more than happy to help anyway she can.She is preparing future professionals and wants you to know the material.KAPLAN ANATOMY FLASHCARDS WILL SAVE YOUR GRADE!!!!
Overall you actually learn nothing, just go to lecture and lab and memorize as much as possible. I think anatomy is a hard subject but she makes it even harder by the way she grades and has the tests laid out. Arguably, everything is set up for students to fail.
If you can take this course through NDSCS, this class is very hard, and a lot of memorization.
Mary is really not that bad in lecture. She does tend to drone on sometimes but paying attention and reading the book will get you through the class. She really does know what she's talking about and is able to answer questions in great detail. Lecture is hard, but she really does want students who try to succeed. Really high expectations
Lab is HARD. Mary has very high expectations for a very low credit class. This class took more effort than my 5 credit class. I worked insanely hard to get this grade. Frontload as much as you can because every point will count. The 3rd exam with muscles is definitely the hardest and is only made harder for the extremely high expectations.
She was a good professor. Lots of lectures. You don't necessarily need to read the book, but it definitely helped me pass the course. Extra credit was given towards the end of the semester. You could watch the lectures via yuja. She was enjoyable, lectures were a bit boring tho. Lots of assignments in the beginning of the semester then there's less
The homework takes HOURS AND HOURS to complete one assignment. The ridiculously long lecture tests are worded weirdly and are hard to understand. She also uploads exams late which is frustrating because it messes up my schedule. The lectures are hard to follow because it's mainly just pictures and her going off on tangents.
Very hard to pass with anything above a D, endless you spend 90% of your time studying
Labs get easier in 221 vs 220, but expectations are still high. It is very clear what you need to know for the exams, so memorize it. Commit to coming to open lab at least once a week to spend time studying with the models. In lab time sometimes feels wasted and bogged down with activities but try to stay engaged because time is valuable here.
She gave us limited time to do the exams, when our class time is 2 hours. She gave us materials that helped her learn but not us. As a professor she should consider that every students learn differently. Her grading system is worst each test is worth 70% which is very hard for some student, I would recommended her to give multiple choice exams.
This professor is the worst professor I have ever had. Lectures do not make sense, tests are somehow harder than they should be, and personally, I love it when a professor has a set schedule for exams and homework assignments. Mary Kenyon does not follow a syllabus. I have never studied harder for a class, to only get nothing back.
The hypocrisy of this professor is astounding; She will take upwards of a month to grade exams, claiming "maintaining a personal work-life balance", while assigning obscene amounts of homework on a weekly basis. Good grades are possible, but come at an extreme cost of time due to needlessly tedious assignments
Actually Hate Mary Jo. I don't care about her cat sanctuary. She is so boring and never responds to an email when you need her. Everything is so needlessly complicated and I could not care less. I hate that she is the only anatomy professor at this school because she made me hate the subject. The lab is the worst part.
During lectures she goes on tangents often and does not cover adequate information for the exams. Often questions on the test that I never heard of/learned. I would not say a lot of homework, but VERY time consuming and studying is difficult. Sad that her homework is not worth your time because it only contributes 30% in a class with 7 total exams.
way too much work, the tests are impossible and she does not care about students other classes
So much content to learn in very little time, it was almost impossible to learn everything. I have spent many hours writing down notes from lectures & textbooks. Worst and hardest class I have ever take. Sometimes, she'll put terms on assignments that we've never learned or aren't on the term sheet. Correct spelling is required for lab exams.
She is a nice lady but boring in lectures. This class isn't hard you just have to study for it, an A or B won't just be given to you without putting any work in. The lab is straight memorization, I have over 100% with her extra credit. She wants you to know the content well since she is teaching what are supposed to be future health professionals!
She is very nice human but one of the worst professor I have ever had. It is nearly impossible to pass her lab class even after spending hours a week studying. It's all memorization, my advice is try to take it through tri-college or have it transfer in. She has been fired multiple times from NDSU but they can never find anyone to replace her.
BIO 221 and the Lab were extremely hard. I put in a lot of effort to come into the exams and be surprised by things that weren't covered in the lectures. Exams are worth 70% of the grade, so if you do bad on one exam it can really hurt your grade. She didn't do a good job providing us with the knowledge we needed to get the most out of the class.
I studied so much only to get a B, and in the lab, you never know what to expect. When I study and quiz myself, I get 100% every time, but when it comes to the test, I always get below 85% which is disappointing. She never tells you what to study for the lecture test so you just have to pray and hope for the best.
Extremely unprofessional and degrades students. She does not consider students have hard majors & anatomy is not a priority. No consideration is taken of her poor teaching skills, she blames students for doing poor. I have tried to like her, but she talks to students with a power hungry tone & out of anger, rather than trying to help her students.
Won't recommend, her incompetence is your own fault.
Lab expectations are laid out very clearly but you have to put in a crazy amount of time. Going to open lab is sometimes helpful but review sessions often have too many people to get 1 on 1 time with her or TA. Lecture is much harder and test expectations aren't laid out very clearly. Practice quizzes do not cover all the information. Nice lady.
Her classes are hard, but if you come to class and pay attention (even when it sounds like she is droning on with a picture) she gives out a lot if information that she will put on tests; anything said in lecture is fair game for the tests. She is very open to feedback and really just wants students to learn and work hard.
Worst professor at NDSU.
Professor Kenyon's class is a challenging but rewarding experience. The content is dense, and exams can be tricky, but using resources like Unstuckstudy AI alongside the textbook can really help with studying. Stay engaged in class, and you'll learn a lot.
Worst professor I've ever had.
Mary's midterm are nothing like the chapter exams. You don't know what is on the midterm and they are worth 50 percent of your grade. It is hard to do well in this class even though you put so much effort into it. Lab is only 1 credit and it takes up more time than your 3 credit class. Be prepared to focus only on this class and still not do well!
The class requires you to read the entire textbook with 200-300 question reviews after each chapter. The lectures stray away from book material, but are tested on. The class requires multiple discussion boards per week. Emailed the professor many times without any response. If the class is required take it through an alternate university.
we had to read the book, but most of the questions in the exam were not from the book. Reading had at least 600 questions, quiz 25, and many questions for the activity. We did not have time for other classes. In-person exams also included many questions. She even did not curve the grades for one point. Her class was very boring.
Class is a nightmare. Hard to stay attentive in lectures. Very boring with tons of content . Exams are BRUTAL, and worth most of your grade. The avg is always 40-60%. Lots of homework. You can succeed it will take a majority of your time. Mary is a smart women, who does not understand her students are no where near her level of intelligence.
This is honestly one of the hardest professors I have ever had. There were 200-300 questions per chapter along with a 20 question quiz along with an activities assignment with 20 to 60 questions. Her midterms make no sense, and it almost doesn't matter what you study because none of it will be on the exam. Overall, very frustrating.
This is a general educational class, she teaches it like we are about to walk into an operating room. She teaches the class as if we are all biology majors, she gives busy work out in huge amounts, she even tests us on information we didn't go over; she just tells us to read and learn about the topic on our own. Take any other professor!
Was a lot of work for a one credit class and she would give us things we did not need to know for the exams, but 9/10 times it would still be on the exam... so ignore those posts.
An absolutely absurd amount of homework, a reading with anywhere from 70-150 questions due every four days, assessments and quizzes to go along with that, discussion board posts, and surprise online exams that you are given little notice for, exams are borderline impossible and worth a huge chunk of grade. at one point there were 3 exams in 5 days
If you do not want to go to medical or graduate school, or if your day is going too well, take this course. Mary Jo will make it her mission to stomp on your hopes and aspirations because she has spent however many years teaching it (poorly) and expects you to have doctoral-level knowledge as an undergraduate student, good luck future nurses.
She assigns 65+ question post labs that are clearly copy and pasted twenty different times with different terms and a shuffled selection of seven different pictures. The labs rarely have anything to actually participate with and the tests are incredibly difficult. Spelling matters and if there is any questions about labels thats on you. Do Not.
Who wouldn't want to spend their entire week buried under assignments with absolutely no time for anything else? The midterms are so easy she might as well write in hieroglyphics. Post-labs? A true work of art where even using her won terms sheet is a gamble. Want to lose your sanity? if yes, make sure to take this course!
I only ended with a B because she rounded up my grade. She is honestly a very nice person and will help you when sought out individually, but as a professor, she can't even get through 10 slides. No wonder everyone fails, she can't even stay on track with her lectures.
Mary Jo is one of the most boring professors I've ever listened to that I just stopped going to class. Her reading assignments are over 200 questions each, not to mention the other assignments due on Sunday. Her tests are impossible to study for and her study guides do not line up with the content we were given in previous weeks.
Shes a really kind person, Just go to her office hours for help
Tbh in no world you should feel accomplished on getting a 60% on a exam. There will be over 200-300 terms to study for each exam and only 50 will be on the actual exam. All I can say is study study study when it comes this class especially if your not a good test taker. The TA was fine never met Mary tho but her tests are outrageous.
Professor Kenyon is a great person and professor, who just teaches a hard subject. Don't let these adverse reviews scare you out of taking this course! The results you get in lecture and lab directly correlate with the effort you put in. 100% recommend getting a tablet to take pictures to label for lab too! The effort input=your grade, no excuses!
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
62%
Textbook Required
50%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
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