2.7
Quality3.1
Difficulty35%
Would Retake96
Reviews35%
Would Retake
96
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
12
4
23
3
18
2
13
1
30
What Students Say
“I took the online class”
BIOL1000 - 1.0 rating“Terrible at communicating and answering questions”
BIOL1000 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
51%
Textbook Required
21%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.21 avg changeRatings by Course
1020
4.0
(1)BIOL1020
3.4
(17)BIO1020
3.4
(19)BIOL1340
3.1
(21)BIO10001010
2.4
(5)Difficulty by Course
BIO10001010
4.2
BIOL1010
4.0
BIOL1000
3.5
1020
3.0
BIOL1340
2.8
Reviews (96)
This dude is Hilarious!
easy course and nice prof.Good luck for your guys!
Nice and funny Prof. Tells you exactly what needs to be studied, but you must go to class or watch the lecture videos. Available to help after labs or on appt. Overall, good prof.
good prof, but holy cow he mis-speaks constantly. Every second sentence he goes back to correct himself lol. Didn't hinder learning at all but found it funny, I mean he's been doing this for many years but still can't quite get it together lol.
He's alright. His notes for this class are all in the textbook, sometimes even copied word by word. He seems helpful in labs and tries to be funny but I always get the feeling that he thinks he's better than everyone. I would have failed this class if it wasn't for his half of the course.
his portion of the course was very easy. only negative is that he talks too much, but other than that he is a very good prof.
He is a terrible instructor. He provides no course materials, no textbook and he writes no notes during his meandering lectures, except for a few random numbers or a useless diagram. He provides no guidance as to what are the core materials needed to be know for exams and no structure within his lectures that is conducive to note-taking.
Thankful to change from Prof. Stacey's painfully dull lectures, I believed that Shaw's lectures would perhaps go more in depth and better prepare students for exams. Although far more charismatic, I was mistaken, as the exam containing his portion contained a large amount of material that hadn't been covered in lectures, all of which I attended.
Material was easy. However, when asking questions about assignments, he basically says 'figure it out.' Not helpful when seeking advice, and not understanding when a student is confused. Easy course, not very helpful prof.
I think that he over-simplifies the topics he explains. Maybe that's because his portion of the course is easier than Stacey's. He's a good prof in general. Take the chance and ask him your questions before it's too late.
He was very clear, and emphasized what you needed to know. He was available if you needed help ( not necessarily the nicest) but helped alot! I would definitely recommend doing the practice questions in the lab manual and the practice exams, and going to see him if you have questions. (helped me get an a!)
Dr. Shaw wastes ten minutes at the beginning of every lecture on "talking to a biologist", races through the material, then lets you out of lecture ten minutes early. Horrible use of time. Luckily, content is straightforward and easy, so him being extremely confusing wasn't too big of an issue. Does not provide notes as Dr. Stacey did.
His portion of the course was way easier. Majority of topics are review from high school. No posted notes are provided. He tells you what you need to know, but his explanation were somewhat clear and doesn't help students outside of class. Reading the textbook helped me a lot.
I took these courses with Prof. Shaw in summer he was HILARIOUS during lectures. Now science is NOT my thing at all so I had A LOT of questions and he was so awesome about it and so helpful never made me feel stupid or like i was asking too many questions. Tests weren't too bad just study notes and text like any other course. Recommended!
Mr. Shaw is a great instructor. He simplifies complicated processes so that you can understand what is going on and his sense of humor makes the topics more interesting. On top of that he really cares about the well-being of students. He tells you to come to his office if you need help every lecture and introduces you to actual biologists.
Mike Shaw's half of Biol 1020 is a double edged sword. On the one hand, his explanations are great and it's way easier than Dr. Stacey's. But the biggest problem is he doesn't give his notes out like she does and he talks WAY TOO FAST. If you can write or type at the speed of sound, you will get an A+. Go see him for help if you miss anything.
I found his section of the course a lot easier to understand both because the content is easier and because in general I think he's great at explaining things. My best advice would be to watch the videos in the library so you can pause and write down everything he says verbally along with whats on the slides as he speaks waaay too fast
Lectures are short, but very fast paced. Often does not give enough time to write anything down as notes are not provided ahead of time. Responds to emails quickly and is often willing to help in his office. Most of the material is review from high school, but is explained very quickly, so the textbook can be useful at times.
He basically takes you by the hand and teach you the material and repeats himself a lot to make sure you understands. If you take great notes, you only need them to pass his portion of the final exam (the other part is split with Dr. Stacey). He is great!
As others have stated, he does talk very fast in his videos. You don't really need the textbook to understand his material as he is pretty clear in his notes. Get the practice exams from the bookstore. He always recycles previous questions, but changes them very slightly.
An okay professor. His jokes are painful, but he provides very detailed notes that go well with the textbook. Doesn't provide much help even if you go to him.
He was a step up from Dr. Stacey but doesn't provide you with printable notes so that's a bummer. Does a lot of drawings for the visual learners.
I found it really hard to write down notes in his lectures because he goes fast. The first couple weeks, most people just ended up taking pictures of the slides bc you cant write it all down in time. His exam questions were a lot more fair than Staceys. His notes also flow A LOT better and explain concepts pretty well.
I find this prof to be hilarious. His jokes really make the lectures even better they already are. The lectures are very well organized and clear cut. He speaks with a loud enough voice so that it is clear. He explains all questions he can. I have emailed him questions about an assingment and his responses are always helpful 5/5
He didn't post notes online or have a textbook and wasn't very clear on what material needed to be learned for the exams. Gave rude answers when I asked questions. Tests have unfair questions.
By far one of the worst professors at the University. I don't know how some of these instructors have the audacity to go on strike claiming they don't get paid enough, yet you have instructors like this who could CARE LESS about teaching. Rude when answering questions, does not care for students. WARNING: take a class with him at your own risk.
Took online, heard from him once, not the most involved professor. 3 assignments & final. Can be overwhelming when taking this class online because you teach yourself from the text, no notes. Definitely study the practice exam on D2L when preparing for the final. Most of the multiple choice is the same & similar if not the same long answers.
Funny professor who teaches the second half of BIO 1020 far better than Dr. Stacey. Enjoyed his meeting a biologist segments and the style of his lectures. Be prepared to write quickly though.
I found his part of the course better. He just speaks fast so you must be a super fast writer to write everything down.I think Stacey and Shaw have so-so ratings because their tests are tricky-do not memorize everything but learn to understand it thoroughly. If u want an A/A+get ready to spend a lot of time with your textbook(which is very helpful)
His lectures are very comprehensive, though he does talk fast, and he goes over topics more than once. In addition, he uses a lot of diagrams for visual learners. He doesn't offer a lot of extra practice, so definitely use the textbook of that. Overall he is a very solid professor. Warning: he makes some brutal dad jokes.
Imo, Shaw should teach BIO1020 for the whole term bc his lecture slides and diagrams are fairly easy to understand compared to Stacey's notes. In addition, he does make life easier with his lecture portion by simply pointing out the 'key points' that would be seen in the final exam. Very helpful during lab days when he does visit.
BIOL 1020 is a course where there is 2 professors that pre-filmed lectures for you to watch in a theatre (replayed every hr). Mike's portion is easier than the first prof, filmed his videos probably 15 years ago. He is sassy, doesn't like emails nor people asking questions on why an exam question is wrong. Lecture is ok, but real life is a d--- .
He had a much easier portion to teach than Stacey, so that really affects many people's opinions of him. I found he was very arrogant in person, he went way too fast in his lectures, and was super unapproachable overall. He also was super annoying about the strike and NOT understanding at all of our situation when it came down to it.
He did a decent job at presenting the material, but he was very uncooperative when it came to exam conflicts due to the strike pushing the exams into January. I hope I never have to interact with him again.
Intro Bio online was my science elective. I thought it would be a general overview of the different areas of Biology. It's not like the other intro courses! His notes on the chapters were very weak with little guidance or info. The tests & assignments were worded weird and marking was hard. I don't suggest this as an elective!
Did not like him. He did not post any information on D2L, no textbook, so basically you had to remember every single detail in lecture to get a good mark. Exams are not fair.
One of the worst profs ever. He gives zero notes for his videos and talks too fast. He thinks he's so smart. Exams are crazy and outta control. They throw in the hardest questions they could possibly find for an intro course. Use the textbook, and just memorize EVERYTHING. Good Luck with this course, and don't take it if you've never had bio before
Shaw doesn't provide online notes, you'll have to go take your own. That said, he often discusses the course content in a really easy-to-understand manner, so you'll likely not regret going. He keeps classes light with humor and his casual nature. Had pop quizzes but they were really straightforward and he allowed the use of notes.
Mr. Shaw was a great prof, made the lectures interesting. No homework, only the final paper which is only a 3-5 page essay. Does do the occasional pop quiz, but it's only 5 questions. Final exam is 100 multiple choice questions. Super fun and hilarious guy, didn't hate going to his class.
He is such a tough grader. He picks on the tiniest of details with little significance and will take away marks. The questions on assignments and exams tend to be unclear, and when questioned about it, he doesn't give helpful answers. I think he could care less about students doing well. Don't like his attitude.
Took the summer course of BIOL1000 so it was quite different compared to the regular. Good lectures, funny, but be sure to show up to class cause he loves his pop quizzes. Had three in a row once!
Mr. Shaw presents the information clearly and explains it well, but he does go a bit fast in lectures. The material is easy though, so read the textbook and you'll be fine!
Great prof, if you actively listening, he is super interesting and make the class fly by. He also will explain something several different ways if you don't understand. Hands down one of the most interesting class I have ever taken.
Most boring guy ever, tries to be funny but he's not and wastes so much class time as well as goes through the important information way too fast.
Very boring and talks too fast in lectures
He's an OK teacher. The material in his section of BIOL 1020 is almost entirely review from Grade 12 Biology (so it is very easy). In his video lectures, he doesn't give you much time to write down important points and skips over slides quickly. But if you are intelligent and motivated, you will have no problem getting an A+.
I'm in my 3rd year of university and Professor Shaw is the worst professor that I have had so far. Terrible at communicating and answering questions. He's VERY unorganized and EXTREMELY unhelpful. I felt like I was completely on my own throughout the semester. He would change important course info and not tell anyone. Take with a diff prof is u can
His section of BIOL 1020 is way easier. He is a pretty good professor, but on exams he gives extremely unfair questions. Topics that seem to be pretty important tend to be tested on less than topics barely even covered in the lectures/labs.
Dr. Shaw is a great professor and is a nice change from Dr. Stacey. His material is very easy and is literally just Grade 12 Biology. I had an excellent high school biology teacher and Shaw is just as great. His lectures are very funny but it is much easier to watch them online where you can pause the videos. I recommend not going to lectures.
his section of the course is much easier and is basically just bio 40S, however even if it wasnt simple he is SO much better and teaching and making sure you fully understand topics, he moves slower and always goes back to clarify! he tests pretty fairly (except for some lab questions) if his section was this whole course my mark would been an A+
When asked questions for clarification he isn't helpful whatsoever. Many of the final exam questions come from the practice test he posts, but he also asks questions on tiny details. I can't speak on how he is as a lecture prof, but when I've interacted with him in person it hasn't been pleasant. He is arrogant, abrupt and lacks understanding.
You can't miss the lectures because he doesnt give notes. but he is very funny and a good prof. I would recommand.0
I took the online class. He doesn't answer emails very often, and when he does he doesn't answer your question correctly. Final exam is on ALL 15 chapters of the book, doesn't give ANY guidance as to what is on the exam or not. Final exam, I'm clueless as to how to study since there is SO much information and no guidance. Not a grade booster.
Never have met or seen the guy, so I can't say much. From the online material: syllabus, unit readings, practice exam, I can see that he copy and pasted thing in a haphazard sort of way and didn't really put effort into preparing the course for a student-friendly environment. Not to be rude but it seems kind of lazy. Put in the effort or dont teach
Enjoyed this course very much. Mike is really passionate about the topic and engaged with students regularly which motivated me to show up to class. No textbook needed although class attendance is required. Course is made up of 2 midterms, couple pop quizzes (which are fairly easy) and a final. If you go to class & take notes then you will be fine.
I took his class during summer so the pace of the course was expectedly fast but he was willing to slow down if you ask him to. He does NOT upload his slides so you better take notes down AND we did have some pop quizzes but he made sure we were notified ahead of time lol
Absolutely the most disrespectful prof on the U of M campus. I got all As on my assignments and when I went in to discuss where I made mistakes he told me that I didn't deserve As, he then continue to speak down to me for the remainder of our meeting and spoke to me as if I was a child who just threw a baseball through his window.
I've never met him but its probably for my own good. Worst professor, I've had. Poor grader and will dock off marks over the smallest details. And the feedback you get from him is just plain rude. Would not take any classes with him again that's for sure.
Overall the class was pretty interesting, Mike is passionate about the topics he talks about making it easier to listen to. Go to class, as he doesn't post his notes online. Has two in-class midterms, the first being way easier than the second, surprise pop quizzes that aren't too bad, a brutal synopsis paper that's not fun to write and a final.
Show up to class, take good notes, make a friend in case you cant make it to class, and youll do well! Midterms are fairly easy, second one the toughest but still passable. Get your synopsis started early and theres a big part of your grade already! Overall great prof who is very concerned about our CO2 filled environment. .
really tries to keep lectures interesting and hes easy going for the most part. Hes not the nicest guy when you talk to him face to face, seems to look down at students. Overall not bad if you need a science course but I wouldnt take it if you want to be assured a good grade, its too subjective of a course
Good at lectures but not approachable. Very abrupt to students and gives little feedback. No notes are given, no textbook required. Easy pop quizzes, midterms are medium difficulty, final had lots of repeat questions. Not a hard course but little feedback is given and learn the material on your own as he is not someone you want to talk to.
Absolute Ass. I have never met such a rude person, I went to him for help as Biology is not my strongest area, and he made me feel like I was stupid for even trying. Spoke very rudely and degradingly to our T.A. as well (who was absolutely fabulous) You'll never actually see him unless you seek him out, and I wouldn't suggest doing so.
No textbook to read. Lots of the material is just building off common sense. Doesn't post any lecture notes but goes slow enough that you won't miss anything anyways. Hilarious in lectures, pretty blunt and rude in person. Pop quizzes are easy points. Midterms are average difficulty. Lets you submit your paper early for feedback and resubmission
great prof, super interesting class, really funny, kinda reminds me of my dad.
He doesn't respond to emails, I never got a reply. Not clear what his grading standard is. This course itself is so easy and I have studied all the material, but he docked all my marks because apparently the wording was too similar to the textbook.
He is very hard to get in contact with. I am taking this course online and haven't received answers to emails I've sent him with questions regarding the course and course content. Also, this course is very very heavy. It's hard for me to find the time to get all the textbook reading and notes. It's so so so much to do and takes up all of my time.
the class is great, he doesn't post anything online so you have to show up and take notes. the information is pretty simple though so if you show up you'll probably be fine. he is not very easy to reach over email. during our final project i emailed him a couple questions and got not nothing back.
Because of this COVID thing, he changed how much each assignment was worth, and how much the final exam was worth. A lot of the class is getting their assignments marked after the exam, and everyone agrees that their marks are unfair. It seems as though he is trying to make sure the class average is lower, which is completely unfair!
Hes an okay professor. I found it very difficult to write his notes and then pay attention to the additional information he said very fast! It wouldve been more helpful, if he had posted the notes online. Hes kinda rude sometimes. He gives exam answers the same day on his bulletin board. His pop quizzes are never pop because he tells you ahead
He's a good prof! Don't take the other comments seriously. If they had difficulty with BIO1000, I'm pretty sure Shaw isn't the issue. Shaw is a good prof! He is available when you need him and does a good job of explaining the material. Bio 1020 isn't easy to teach.
Crazy amount of reading required with little emphasizes on what to focus on.
Never had a prof as bad as Michael Shaw. Took both these course online and it was basically read the entire textbook between the two courses to find the information you need for assignments/quizzes. He takes days to answer emails and if and when he does answer he is not very informative at all. Would not take these courses with him ever. AVOID!!!!!
Michael shaw is not hard on students for this class but he never replies to emails he prefers calls more. U do everything on ur own so get ready for that if u wanna take this class.
Took his class this winter term and he is not the best prof to take class with. He doesnt reply to emails because he prefers calls and he doesnt let students know his grading scale first day of class, he told us the grading scale after the final exam and all students got a letter low than they expected. Hes not very helpful.
Not accessible AT ALL outside of class. Also a liar- promised us a standard grading scheme, but changed it last minute without telling anyone. No textbook or ppt slide is provided to study from, so you have to suffer listening to what he's saying + writing down what's on the slides. Tests on things he doesn't teach and is overall rude to students.
I took this as a distance course so maybe this isn't the best but I felt like he could care less about the students. He was very kind and did have office hours where we could ask questions but the tests were taken on mastering biology and they were very confusing. I wish he would put up a study guide for the final
The assignment questions are so vague. You could literally apply them to a number of things but he has strict criteria on them. No guidance in the class, its distance Ed but you can tell the course was just slapped together with little effort. Ive always liked distance Ed courses and profs usually provide notes or something but not him.
Professor was cool. Assignments were understandable and did help understand course material. HOWEVER, this course relies on the online textbook, and it's god-awful. The book is poorly written/organized, hard to understand, and dreadful to work with. Prof was great but would only ever take another course with him if he ditches the online book.
a good guy all things considered, but an atrocious professor. he's there to be paid and puts no effort into this course and little to no information or guidance for students. this course is a self guided study of the world's worst textbook - so disorganized. also watch out cause he likes to say this is a bio course and then quiz/test on chemistry.
Since its a distance course he really doesn't do any teaching (its all your own work from the textbook), however he is very willing to help you with any questions you have about content or your assignment grades (and you will have questions about your assignment grades). Final exam is harder than the mastering biology quizzes so beware of that.
One of the University's worst professors. He takes days to respond to emails, and when he does, he is not very helpful. He marked the assignments very tough and the exams very heavy when asked he said the class should have an average of a C So don't worry !!!!!??
I decided to give Michael a try, and it turns out he is not as bad as his reviews says he is. He doesn't respond with emails which I find very annoying, however if you give him a call he answers within seconds.His grading was fair, takes a lot of reading to complete the course so get ready for that. Quizzes were easy.
Taking this class during the second semester back in person. Professor is a great lecturer and expects you to show up and take notes. Exams were fairly easy multiple choice and the synopsis paper was interesting. If you show up, take notes, and get involved you'll do well
assignments for him are easy but he expects different answers from everyone even though he wants the information from the textbook and you are bound to get a similar answer within 170 students, it will count as plagiarism and you will lose marks, very hard greater and would not retake it if my life depended on it which it does.
He is the most unresponsive prof EVER. I emailed him and it took 3 days to get a response. Wasnt even over a weekend the email was sent at the beginning of the weekday. Does not provide guidance and the only form of notes you get is the textbook.
Decided to take his online class and was pleasantly surprised. The assignments and quizzes are pretty straight forward, however requires lots of reading and note taking. Easy course to keep up with.
Not only is he unresponsive; his criteria for grading are terrible. He wanted us to answer questions using the textbook but did not want us to copy answers verbatim. He then deducted marks due to "vague information" (despite it coming all from the book). What was supposed to be a beginner bio course was the worst course throughout my degree.
This professor was very unprofessional and is one of, if not, the toughest graders I've had. He will give you assignments worth 20%, and in turn, knowing that the assignment should easy for the most part, he will harshly mark them. Even if he isn't the one marking them, he clearly instructs them to be very picky.
DO NOT RECOMMEND HIM AT ALL. If you have any other choice but this guy, take it. Worst prof. that I've had. Very, very picky marker, someone that takes marks off of assignments just for the sake of taking marks off. He knows that the assignments are easy and are worth 20%, so he finds any way or tells his markers to take marks off in any way possib
AGAIN DO NOT TAKE THIS PROF IN ANY COURSE. Does not care about his profession at all and takes days to reply to emails. In some instances, he doesn't even reply at all. Choose anyone but this guy!
well, this is your sign not to take this course with this professor ! tried to give them a chance and ignore the bad reviews but unfortunately this is a terrible professor. Grades extremely tough, clearly on a power trip, purposely takes off marks.. save ur gpa and take it with someone else
If you don't absolutely need any class is teaching, do not take unless you care about your gpa! The class materials are bare, only textbook readings and vague, harsh assignments. Please take any other class because many other professors put in more effort for their students!
Even if you follow the online assignment to a T he will still find ways to doc you marks. He expects you to answer the assignment questions and then read his mind on what should be on the paper. Absolutely ridiculous DO NOT TAKE if you care about your GPA.
You could follow the assignment instructions to a T and he would still find ways to doc you marks. It's like he wants you to read his mind on what should be on that paper. Absolutely ridiculous. If you care about your GPA find a different course
he basically told us to write a paper and explicitly said to not make it like an essay and it was marked exactly like an essay rather than a report. he gives out skeleton notes which are bare minimum so you NEED to show up or its over for you. avoid at all costs
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
51%
Textbook Required
21%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.21 avg changeRatings by Course
1020
4.0
(1)BIOL1020
3.4
(17)BIO1020
3.4
(19)BIOL1340
3.1
(21)BIO10001010
2.4
(5)Difficulty by Course
BIO10001010
4.2
BIOL1010
4.0
BIOL1000
3.5
1020
3.0
BIOL1340
2.8