Great lab teacher but a little dry and regimented in lecture. Tests and work nontrivial but not difficult, and based on lectures. Really nice guy.

He's a nice guy, not a bad lecturer, although sometimes a bit dry. His grading policy was 40% midterm, 60% final, which was really freaky, cuz his tests are not easy. Just study hard, and you should be fine. You really use this information in upper divs.

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This class is really great, because you have a lot of freedom to perform your own experiments, within the realm of the topic being studied. Due all the extra credit work you can, and your lab reports will be fine.

Great teacher for labs and Micro, not for bio20a...he hates that class

Basically tells you everything he wants. Explains all experiments and what their purposes are. A little picky when it comes to grading, but not a hard grader. Very helpful during office hours.

Very cool and relax in lab. Tells you what he expects and lab reports aren't difficult. Midterms and practical are okay. He's really there to help you in any way he can. Enjoyed taking labs with him as an instructor---would totally recommend it!!!

Loved this class! Dalbey is totally laid-back and has a wry, dry sense of humor; a combo that could be easily overlooked and mistaken for a boring disposition. sort of picky grader but gave great eval, was helpful and enthus. in lab, and last lab was a nature hike. get him for 2-cred lab or microbio

Smart and blessedly irreverent. Exam = what he emphasizes in lecture. No, doesn't don a cheerleader outfit and shout out exactly what will be on the exam, but sheesh, what do you expect? Be very detailed in your answers - if you omit even the obvious, will assume you don't know and ding you for it.

I really liked Dalbey. His lectures are funny and interesting. I overstudied for the exams...I would reccomend studying the lecture notes more than the text. Overall great class.

Had him for two upper divison labs...totally approachable and willing to help students. Very funny and relax in lab. Tells you exactly what he wants and demonstate experiments before hand so you're clean on what you're suppose to do. Grades consist of lab reports, attendance/participation, group presentation, quizzes or midterms/practical.

I've had dalbey on several occasions and hes a great lecturer. hes there to help so ask him and you'll be great.

a very nice and engaging guy. knows his stuff and is passionate about it. he loves to help, ask him any question. i very much enjoyed his lab, it has helped me score a great position at harvard medical.

He was a great professor. Very fair. I did poorly on midterms, but showed my stuff on the final, and gave me credit for it. It was excellent. He's a great teacher too, if you ask him questions and go to his office hours, he'll explain things.

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its a hard class, but hes an excellent teacher. anyone whos made just doesnt do their work, or isnt smart enough to pass the class. he makes it as easy as the class can be.

One of the best teachers I've had. Funny, interesting, great lecturer. Speaks clearly, concisely, and precisely. Exams were fair. Do all your homework and ask questions. He's really good at answering them.

He makes the subject more interesting. He tells great stories that relate to the subject to make the confusing stuff more understandable. This isn't an easy class but if you study his supplemental problems and read the book, you'll do good. I am taking physics and another upper div bio class and I still managed to get a good score on the midterm.

GREAT teacher. He's really caring and attentive. Really wants his students to succeed. The class is far from easy, but if you do the homework and go to MSI and office hours, you should be fine. Honestly one of the best bio lecturers around.

Difficult class. An okay professor. At first I thought he was great until he yelled at me when I came to one of his office hours. He's very condescending. He doesn't tell anyone where they stand in the class either. One midterm is 45% of the grade and the final is 55% and that is all you'll ever know.

Genetics is a hard class to begin with. Dalbey did a good job lecturing (lectures were clear). His tests are pretty tough, and even though he says he doesn't trick people, he finds ways to do it. Grading... you have no idea what you have until the grades come out at the end.. managed a B with lots of effort. Not a bad choice for genetics.

Mike is a great proff. Want an A? Read the book, attend lectures, do all problems, go to sections. The test questions are from the homework and lecture. Your TA will save your butt if you work with them, doing problems and participating in section. Get to know your weaknesses and then work on them! Thanks Mike and Mike!

dalbey's overrated. definitely doesn't make genetics a FUN class. exams are difficult and there are only two of them so don't screw up the first one. possible to get a good grade in the class if you read and do problems, though there are sooo many of them i got pretty disinterested pretty fast.

Good guy, good prof.

Dalbey seems like a chill guy, he makes all sorts of hippie references in class and does these little dances to represent certain processes but his lectures are really misleading- the material seems to be really easy but he actually expects A LOT more for the test. Do the reading, memorize details, it'll save your ass. 45% midterm 55% final

This class is definitely demanding, but Dalbey is a great professor. He made an effort to be available to his students, even offering up his weekend time to hold review sessions before the tests. Tests are difficult, but if you do what you're supposed to do (read the book, go to lecture and sections, see him in office hours), then you can do well.

Did this guy care about our progress or what! We constantly got emails answering common questions we had about the material. Very helpful, had office hours all the time, and he invited the students to bike rides on weekends. One of the best professors I've had, hands down my favorite.

Hes a very fair teacher, but his material is hard and he expects students to learn beyond what he teaches. If you listen to lectures and visit his office hours, you should do fine. But you must be willing to learn BEYOND what he teaches..but overall, hes a cool teacher! he rides his bike everyday to school and is ON TIME! so dont be late for class.

A hard class, but with plenty of study and preparation you can do well. Dalbey is always there to help, in office hours and emails. Don't be intimidated by him, he truly wants students to succeed but he won't be fooled by any slackery so know what you're asking. Tough tests, but very fair. Know everything and you'll have nothing to worry about.

Hard teacher but if you work hard you will take a lot away from the course. There interesting but very hard.

In order to do well in Mike's class, you need to go to lecture and pay attention and take notes. He makes it easy to do this though as he's very interesting and pretty funny. But you do need to pull some weight, the questions on tests are very specific and sometimes seem unfair. just be in class and keep up somewhat and its fine.

he really does want the sutdents to do well and will try to help, all the people complaining probably didnt study and do the suggested problems. doing those and studying the lecture notes is all you need to do well. he is a fair tester. not hard to do well if you work at it.

He is a tough teacher, although if you study: read the book, and DO ASSIGNED HW problems, you will have nothing to worry about. His tests are fair, nothing crazy in details but he wants you to know everything and thats a problem coz you dnt know what to expects on the test. If you want an A, be ready to put at least 15 hours a week into this class

Awesome teacher. Makes print out notes so you pay attention in class. Even has video lectures online so you don't have to go to class. Just read (or do practice problems), go to lecture and take notes. always available (at joe's or through email). test are fair.

Pay attention to his lecture notes and what he says about them in lecture, his notes are mostly for the MC part.his suggested problems are similar to what he puts on the test, so if you want to do well, do them. didn't really like his humor thou. pretty lame. at least he's making an effort of making his lectures more enjoyable. good teacher overall

Dalbey really wants to help you succeed. Attend lectures, READ THE BOOK. His lectures highlight areas he feels are important. Careful, as people simply looked at lecture notes and bombed the exam. His tests are HARD. He wants to challenge his students. He makes up for this by grading on a HUGE curve: 72% & 68% on the two midterms, and got an A-.

He dumbs down the lectures a lot in comparison to the tests. Grade is 45% midterm (1) 55% final. Midterm was extremely hard and he doesn't tell you what the grades mean. There is a HUGE curve though. Do the practice problems he sends out. At least one shows up on midterm and final. 64% midterm 67% final=B+

really nice guy. and pretty easy for an upper div bio class! i thought bio chem would kick my butt, but it was pretty straightforward. make sure to go to all the workshops he sets up, they give you a free 20 point on the midterms.

I had Mike for Bio 20A, Biochem and Genetics at UCSC. Mike is an awesome teacher. He has difficult exams but he really expects his students to work hard to understand the material. He can be sarcastic, but also really helpful. He was one of my favorite teachers - he gets the low ratings only because he teaches the tough classes.

Although I wish he gave a clearer idea of what to expect on his tests before he gave them (or at least didn't give only two that counted for your entire grade), he's really not as bad as people say he is. Just study hard, go to lecture and discussion, and try to get a copy of his past tests and you should do just fine.

Professor Dalbey was an amazing teacher. His lectures cover the majority of the material on the exam, and his review sessions are really helpful. He's very nice and he tries to make things as clear as possible for students, without babying them.

Dalbey was not as bad as I thought, although, he really does expect you to know the material like the back of your hand. I definitely had to read the textbook in order to be successful but, you should read his notes as well. I believe that's the outline of material he will hold you responsible for. He is approachable at times.

Dalbey is an awesome teacher. He really doesn't expect a lot from his students. If you come to class and do a few of the assigned problems you will do well on tests. He is the easiest teacher I've ever had. He is a nice guy too. Just don't be stupid and go into his office hours without specific questions,you'll be wasting your time as well as his.

wow just took this professor for microbio this summer...and LET ME TELL YOU...this isa great professor in terms of encouragement and help...he is extremely helpful and always available and makes a huge effort for helping the material sink in...he also has a good sense of humor...and he seems to really care about our progress.

I took Dalbey for Bio 20A and genetics to be honest everyone says his class is so hard blah blah,,, Garbage I studied maybe 1/5 of the time for his classes as I have for other upper Div bio classes and got B+'s just go to class and pay attention better than droning on details for other peoples tests for hours.

AWESOME teacher! He is SO helpful and wants everyone to do well. He will keep e-mailing us with solutions to problems and other's people's Q&A. I REALLLYYY enjoy his class the most because of his nice personality and his generosity. He is by far the best teacher I've had at SC. The exams I feel are very FAIR so stop complaining!

Dalbey is without a doubt a hard professor. His averages for midterm/final are extremely low, but don't be discouraged. He curves. A LOT! Also, if you read the book and pay attention in lecture you'll do great.

The midterm and final were hard, but as someone said he curves A LOT. I had to read the book inside and out which is very time consuming. Some of his exam questions come from the left field. He usually gives you a good idea of what 50% of the exam will look like. The rest of it is up in the air. I liked him as a person though, very helpful.

Dalbey is very good. Don't listen to anyone who says he is hard. If you go to class and study his material you will get an A. He also give example questions just like his test. Don't cram this course! Keep up with it and you will do fine

I took 3 classes with prof Dalbey at UCSC. Know what to expect with him - 40% midterm, 60% final - and the exams will be tough. Just put in the time and you will be fine. He can be pretty animated when lecturing, and he brings in interesting asides. Also, he is extremely helpful outside of class. I recommend his Microbial Genetics Lab for a L or W.

Probably one of the best teachers ive had so far at ucsc!!! He's by no means easy but he made me actually want to attend class. He also made the information entertaining!!! Take any class with Dalby he will make it worth the work that you have to put in

Probably one of the best teachers ive had so far at ucsc!!! He's by no means easy but he made me actually want to attend class. He also made the information entertaining!!! Take any class with Dalbey he will make it worth the work that you have to put in

Great professor, he knows his stuff and he makes it interesting. His class is simple 40% midterm 60% final. He has so many resources online, if you actually read the assigned reading and go through the guides he puts online you should have no trouble getting an A or B

Had him for Bio 20A and 105, got an A in both. Straight forward tests, although difficult, his tests are fair. Put the time in and you will be fine...but if you don't...expect to be upset after the tests...which is why he curves a ton...because half the class does pretty horrible on a regular basis.

If you read the book and attend lecture, simply put you will get an A. His lecture works off of the readings so doing the reading before class helps greatly. His tests are straightforward also, not too bad. Very clear and concise teaching style.

He is a fun professor. He tries to make the class interesting by applying the learned information into everyday biological life. Although it was fascinating, not all of the information are written in the book. Therefore, know every information that he gives out (from lecture, lecture notes, homework, and so forth) if you want to pass.

Dalbey is the hardest professor that I have encountered. He expects a lot from you. But he is the best professor I have had. He is readily available for your questions, replies to your emails quickly, and has review sessions. His tests are extremely hard, but completely fair. He gives assigned reading, do it! It will be on the exam.

Dalbey is not a great professor. His lectures are a complete waste of time (I attended all of them still). The material he goes over in his lectures do not specify at all what he wants from you on the test. He is hard to approach at his office hours and can be condescending. Also he has no sympathy for his students. Horrible Professor, avoid!!!

Dalbey was an okay biology professor, he was interesting and tried to crack jokes, but most of them weren't that funny. Reading the book is a must if you want to get an A. He also has "study guides" so its a good thing to look them over before coming to class. The midterm was rough, but i found the final to be a lot better. Also he's retiring.

Great at simplifying and explaining material. Clear expectations for exams; Print out and annotate his study guides during lecture. Make sure you understand all the diagrams in the reading and you're golden. Some people find him boring but I thought he was hilarious!

The professor is excellent at teaching, he's one of those teacher that can save you time from trying to read and figure out what the hell the book is talking about. As a lecturer, he's very clear, and slowly spoken for the purpose of clarity. He basically reads it at a rate so that you can write down the note.