Good teacher and an easy course.

Only reason to go to class is for the pop quizzes. Otherwise, lecture is useless. Some believe the exams are tough, and long ( usually 100 questions), but she pulls no punches on them. Just study

She's so enthusiastic, passionate, and interesting! I went to class for all the stories, videos, and real-life examples that made the class exciting.

Prof Fierke is really enthusiastic and incredibly nice. She does a good job making the material interesting and engaging, though there is a tremendous amount of material to learn for the class. Expect a number of pop quizzes, so always have your notes on you. Shes does drop 3 or so. She makes the class much more enjoyable than it could be.

Amazing professor. She will do anything to help her students understand the material. As long as you attend lecture and pay attention, you can't fail this course. I wish more professors were as easy to talk to.

Dr.Fierke is a pretty good professor and very down to earth. However she doesn't teach the course too well for the information you need to know for the exams and quizzes. Most of her lectures however do give the overall idea you need. But you must read the textbook to succeed in this class!!! The textbook is the best source. She gives pop quizzes a

Very enthusiastic, great teacher. Easy to approach and very willing to help anyone.

It was a blast being in her class! Everything positive other people are saying is true, she's personable and makes the course a lot of fun. As long as you put in the time and effort, you will do great. And yes, you need to get the book and at least do the end of chapter questions (these will be on the exams).

Miss Frizzle-esque, she is very enthusisastic and hard. Wears the same pair of red gorrilla shoes every day, and can be seen biking to class in them. Awesome and eccentric teacher.

I was glad to have Dr.Fierke as one of my first professors at ESF! She was so enthusiastic, amiable, down-to-earth, and she REALLY does want everyone to do well! She genuinely cares and ALWAYS there to help. You just need to try (actually study) and want to do well yourself. I really enjoyed the course.

Dr. Fierke is a passionate professor, because of her excitement and intellect the class is a joy. It is a very difficult course with lots of material covered, but Dr. Fierke is very approachable and willing to offer help.

One of the best professors I had at ESF. Genuinely cares about her students and wants them to succeed. She goes above and beyond with any student who asks for help. Her enthusiasm and passion makes learning fun. A life-changing professor and class.

Dr. Fierke is an amazing Professor; she is passionate about what she teaches, she is there for students who are struggling, she is involved in many programs on campus, and she genuinely cares about her students. She teaches a difficult course, but the knowledge you get from her class will help you through your followig years at ESF.

Dr. Fierke is incredibly enthusiastic. It is obvious that she loves biology and that she loves teaching. The class is a little difficult but she covers material well and makes fair tests.

Dr. Fierke is an awesome professor she was always there when I had questions or problems,and explained challenging materials in an enthusiastic and clear manner.I liked that she followed the text book for our online homework's.I felt well prepared for taking higher level bio courses at ESF after I took this course, Overall she is a great professor.

Dr. Fierke is very knowledgeable and dedicated professor. When it comes to a large and info-rich course like biology its hard to get a fully comprehensive teacher who is upbeat and friendly as well, but Dr. Fierke is all three. While her grading can be tough and her tests rigorous, they are always fair, and there is always plenty of help available.

Dr. Fierke pushs her students, but is always fair with her grades. Much help given, amazing class and professor!

Dr. Fierke is very enthusiastic and it is contagious. She always involves interesting articles, songs, videos and stories to help students relate to the material. Even though the course is hard and demanding she is a great, motivational and fair teacher.

Dr. Fierke's passion for teaching and the subject are obvious. She is always enthusiastic, upbeat, and dedicated. She goes out of her way to get to know her students, despite the class size, and tries to appreciate students who put in extra effort. The class is hard, but it makes students more prepared for later bio courses.

Dr. Fiekre is honestly one of the best professors at ESF. Not only does she have a passion for the subject, but she also loves to have every student succeed. She provides more then enough opportunities for students to get extra help if they need any, and is always open to any questions. As long as you study and put in effort, you will succeed.

I really loved Dr. Fierke's biology class. She always incorporated outside issues related to what we were learning which kept the material interesting. While she is hard on the students as she wants us to succeed, Professor Fierke is willing to explain anything as long as you're willing to learn and seek her out for help!

Dr. Fierke's enthusiasm was inspiring. As a freshman at ESF she is an encouraging start to the college experience. The only things she loves more than teaching is the subject of biology itself. She is very approachable and invites questions. She is strict with her grading policy but is very professional.

Dr. Fierke is a stellar professor. She knows her subject matter forwards and backwards, is willing and able to answer any questions (and her warmth and genuine compassion makes her approachable), and she exhibits enthusiasm for both the subject matter and relaying it to the students. Grading is tough, but always fair. A+ overall teacher!

Dr. Fierke is a delightfully challenging professor who pushes you to excel in biology. Her enthusiasm is contagious! She is always available for extra help and cares immensely about her students.

Professor Fierke has a genuine love for teaching and interest in her students. The course is challenging b/c she pushes us to be better knowing that to slack off does no one any good. Always available to speak to and always ready to help.

Professor Fierke has a genuine love for biology that is inspiring and infectious. She goes the extra mile to get students interested in the material, and I found the lectures to be fascinating. I learned an incredible amount in Gen Bio I, and I would consider her course to be an indispensable foundation to studying the life sciences.

Dr. Fierke loves biology and she loves teaching. Yes, the class is difficult. You really have to put the time in to study and do the MasteringBiology homework. If you go to class, do your homework, and study for the tests, you're good. Dr. Fierke is clear in lectures, and willing to answer questions if you have them. The PowerPoints are great!

Dr. Fierke is an excellent professor who has crafted General Biology into an enjoyable and memorable course. Her genuine personality and enthusiasm for biology made a challenging course doable. I highly recommend Professor Fierke’s course to anyone that wants a solid foundation for upper level bio courses.

The online homeworks are a great tool for reviewing the textbook and getting ready for an exam. She does a wonderful job of preparing student for the rest of their SUNY-ESF career. Pop-quizzes helps to keep attendance up. She insists on getting to know her students and is very helpful. The 1st homework is about yourself, so she can get to know you.

Fierke was awesome. She was incredibly enthusiastic when teaching and never had a problem making even the most mundane topics sound interesting. I'm not a bio person at all, but I definitely enjoyed this class.

Dr. Fierke is an amazing teacher. She is very enthusiastic about what she teachers which gives students an incentive to learn. She also truly cares about her student's education and wants to ensure that they are retaining the necessary material. She challenges her students, so hard work and dedication is required if you want to do well.

Fierke was a great professor who was genuinely interested in the class and her students. Some people are saying that the class was too hard for a 101 level course, but people are forgetting this is college, not high school. As for her going to fast in class to take notes, I suggest taking them before class (she puts them all up online before class)

Dr. Fierke will guide you to information, it is your job to acquire it yourself. This is a woman that is as passionate as they come in terms of teaching, and to do well in her course, you must show that same passion.

This class was eye opening for the rest of my college experience. She grades tough and is very suspicious of cheating. Come to class or you may miss one of her pop quizzes

Really challenging course. Expect to work hard, but if you do, you'll have a super strong base to work from. Fierke gives you a lot of resources to help get you through. If you make use of those you'll be okay. Fierke's a good professor and she genuinely cares about her students...

Dr. Fierke has given me more opportunities than any person at ESF and for that I am extremely grateful. She wants to help people but, you have to meet her half-way. Work hard, do as she says, and be prepared for some tough grading. Just to reiterate, she is the best professor I have had the privilege of working for and I will never forget that.

GO TO CLASS. Dr. Fierke doesn't take attendance, but it's basically impossible to do well if you don't show up. There's a ton of content, so I recommend recording lectures on your phone and listening to them later, especially because alot of the mc questions on the test are in what she says, not what's on the powerpoint. Also, go to workshops!!!!

SUNY ESF doesn't make it easy for freshmen and this is a class that will try to get rid of you. Probably the most interesting class I took my freshman year and I learned a lot from Fierke. Her tests are hard and you have to work for every point. Get a good grade on the first test because it gets rapidly harder from there.

I just finished Dr. Fierke's class. It is tough, but with effort it IS possible to earn an A. Exams are hard (especially exams 2 and 4). To maximize grade it is best to earn full credit on mastering biology and the assignments. Pop quizzes do not count for as much as the other reviews make it seem. Very nice professor. Workshops are helpful.

This is one of the hardest classes I have taken at ESF, but it is not impossible to do well in. Go to class with your notes written, and record the lecture on your phone to listen to later. Go at LEAST one workshop a week, read the textbook and show up to her office hours. If you show her you are putting forth effort, she will help you out a lot!

Hard material but if you study , tests aren't hard. Overall, hard but do-able class.

Homegirl is mad nice but not going to lie, her tests are hard. If you don't study, trust me you will fail. Like most people have said, her class is hard, but not impossible to get a good grade on. The final exam and Unit 3 exam are one of the two easiest.

Fierke is a wonderfully caring human being, and really makes an effort to know the students and reach out to those that are struggling. The course itself is HARD! Theres a lot of content that is only went over once, then you have to memorize it on your own. There isnt time to go over it twice in lecture. The exams are HARD. YOU MUST STUDY!

You learn so much in this class, but the tests are hard. The best way to pass this class is to try your best on the Mastering Biology homework with cheating, so you are better prepared for the test.

Fierke genuinely cares about graduate students and has been a great asset to my research.

Lots of work, but shes super passionate about the class!!! Its definitely the weed out class and a lot of work, but you can tell how much she cares about the topic. Really understanding if you go to office hours too :)

She personally helped me find my way to a lab when my phone wasn't allowing me to use maps or make calls. I was scared I would get a C in the class but thanks to the doubling of the final score to replace your lowest test score, the surface level information asked on the final and the bonus points from the workshops; I was raised two letter grades.

Based on reviews, you might be scared to take graduate level courses with Fierke. But from my experience, graduate courses are where her teaching style thrives. She gets to know all of the students and their individual interests, talents, etc. Just be ready to do a lot of work in and out of class including reading, presenting, talking in class, etc

While Dr. Fierke is most definitely a tough professor, she cares about what she's teaching and her classes are totally doable if you put in the work and study hard. Study study study! For diversity of life II, STUDY! For entomology, STUDY! Her study guides are very clear but there is a LOT of content to cover.