3.2
Quality3.6
Difficulty55%
Would Retake125
Reviews55%
Would Retake
125
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
37
4
25
3
16
2
23
1
24
What Students Say
“One of the best and most hilarious professors at Texas State”
BIO4301 - 5.0 rating“Martin is a great professor that is able to keep you engaged about the content with his silly dad jokes”
BIO2410 - 5.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
11%
Textbook Required
20%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.65 avg changeRatings by Course
GENTGENT
5.0
(1)BIOL4301
5.0
(2)GEN0001
5.0
(1)BIO2410
4.8
(6)BIO4301
3.8
(20)Difficulty by Course
GEN2450
4.3
BIO2450
3.7
BIO4301
3.5
BIOL4301
3.0
BIO2410
2.5
Reviews (125)
Brand new prof; our 2410 class was tiny, intimate, and fun. Martin is approachable, warm, respectful, thorough. He cares that basic concepts are understood, and quizzes were rehabilitative rather than punitive when we weren't getting it. His organization will have to improve for the big 2450 section, but he'll make it. Joe's cool, too. 2 thumbs up.
Good teacher, hard to get ahold of outside of classroom sometimes, gave me his cell phone number and told me to call whenever I needed help. Allows you to meet with him in his research rooms and talk there.
He is a wonderful professor. He really wants his students to succeed in his class. His tests can be a little tricky so READ THE QUESTION CAREFULLY!!!
A very knowledgeable professor but with a more laid back attitude. He truly wants you to succeed in his class and will further explain ideas/processes in class if needed. His tests are MC, short answer, fill in the blank but as long as you study and pay attention in class you'll do just fine. Overall a great class and fantastic professor.
I loved Dr. Martin! Is is very smart & an easy laid back prof. He wants you to do well in his class. Tests are straight from lecture & he even says "heres a good test question..." You really need to go to class to do well. He is by far the best teacher i've had at Texas State & im a senior...
Great techer, laid back and funny. His class is difficult but he makes it worth going to class. Hard to get an A and about 1/3 end up having to drop but you learn a lot. Don't expect curves for tests, although sometimes he makes exceptions if the class avg is lower than 60ish.
Really nice guy, good teacher, but screwed over a lot of people by giving out old copies of the tests (some of which he copied and pasted exact answers to new tests) and a majority of the class was pretty pissed. Study hard for the tests and do not think of it as an easy "A". It is actually a weed out class.
Although I maintained a passing grade mostly, due to an even minor dishonest infraction on my part, I failed this course. While Dr. Martin is as friendly, helpful, and available as any professor, he does not tolerate academic dishonesty. My advice? Take good notes and know the material. If you do what I did in ANY means, expect to fail.
Noland is really great. He tries to trick you on tests, but in lecture he will tell you how he's going to! He tries really hard to keep you guessing, so just study all of the material and don't assume the tests are going to be the exact same as his old ones. I can't wait to take him for evolution!
I enjoyed the class but as abe said "people who like this sort of thing will find this the sort of thing they like" the tests are tricky but if you go over the old exams they make sense, also if you go visit him during office hours and go over what you did wrong on exams it will be of great help for the final.
He is a nice guy. Somewhat disorganized. The tests are easy because he gives you access to previous tests and questions are very similar. He'll have a couple of tricky questions. He tells you in class what he plans to ask on the test and if you go to his office hours, he'll spend time answering your questions.
Great class. Just study and you will do fine.
The two main points I want to make is: 1)this guy is extremely lazy and will make your life miserable by giving you crap tests that you have to decipher because he refuses to take a few minutes to proof-read. 2)He assumes everyone is an idiot and will treat you accordingly, regardless of how much you try to redeem yourself. Enjoy!
Take someone else for genetics. Basically it is a review of what you learned in Biology, but he makes it confusing. If you don't want to be challenged or learn anything, this is a good class for you but then you probably shouldn't be a bio major. Made an A thanks to old tests but didn't feel like I learned much.
Smart guy, terrible teacher. Does not post lectures, which are often unorganized powerpoint lectures, filled with text. Hard to follow and take notes, as he often goes through lectures really fast. Does give practice exams, and tests are multiple choise, but you really don't learn much and the class is hard.
Easy because his tests are almost word for word from his old tests. I learned absolutely nothing this whole semester. Horrible teacher and he knows it too, but doesn't bother changing his methods. Too bad he's the only one on campus or I'd advise taking someone else.
Great Professor.He wants you to do well and is always willing to help.He's interesting and funny too.Go to class, take notes, study and you'll be fine. Don't leave class early, he hates that, either go or don't go. One of, if not my favorite professor I've ever had...
Don't pay attention to all the negative comments. IF he used to be a terrible teacher as some people are saying, then hes definitely changed his methods. Great teacher, VERY clear,not tough,VERY entertaining! Take him, you won't be sorry that you did.
Def has reformed his teaching technique since prior years- gives out lecture notes now and they are helpful. Cool dude, very approachable.
Dr. martin is a good teacher. He doesnt mess with minute subjects of Genetics. He is sometimes "sassy" if you ask a dumb question. Makes the class more fun. Good professor to take. 90% test material comes from slides.
Best teacher ever! His tests are not all that hard in comparison to other courses although they can be tricky at times. Rule of thumb read each question to make sure you know exactly what he is asking as he tends to throw hints that may go unnoticed the first time you read it. He gives out notes or post them when he doesnt. Great sense of humor!
He really loves the subject, but tests can be very tricky. As long as you go to class and study the notes you will probably do well.
Favorite professor from Texas State. Exams are 90% from lecture slides. Minimal book use. Has a great attitude toward teaching & funny sense of humor. Straight up guy who doesnt act like he is teaching a bunch of kids (i hate those teachers). 3 exams & comp final (can take place of lowest test grade) LAB was HARDER than class!
Dr. Martin was crystal clear about how Genetics would be structured and how incredibly serious he takes academic integrity. 70% of the time he will pass out lecture handouts and post practice tests. Neither are bibles so take good notes and do the assigned reading. He was very helpful during office hours. I'll be taking him for Evolution, also.
Tough professor but very fair. Has a good sense of humor and is approachable. Answers every question asked in class so don't hesitate to ask if you need anything. Most test questions come from the lectures but definitely do the assigned readings. If you come to class, take notes, and read the book, you'll do great.
Dr.Martin is nice guy and a hard professor. He is always available after class and during office hours. I believe that he is hard teacher because he doesn't know how to write exams and so makes the questions a lot of times confusing. I see a lot times students including myself have to ask him to explain the test questions. BewareHe is a trickster!
Dr. Martin is an excellent prof & just an all around nice guy! Exams can be tough-what worked for me was taking good notes in lecture/lab & using the book to supplement. An A is possible if you work hard. He genuinely wants you to do well in his class & is super willing to help those who don't slack off. He is pretty funny too-HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
He's a good and funny professor. Always up for students to ask questions but he can ramble on for forever. Sometimes hard to focus during lecture. Most test questions come from class. He usually tells you what will be on the test, but that doesn't mean to not study. Studying is a must. Lab is hard - you have to write 2 papers
Read and study, tricky tests, almost unfair but goes over the material well.
Dr Martin seems concerned if the students are learning, but does not prepare them well for his exams. His exams are tricky, he tries very hard to re-word the material so that it seems foreign using words terms you're not familiar with and also splits apart, flips around backwards and rewords the multiple choice answers to confuse you.
Awesome teacher. 30% of the grade was based on the Lab & the other 70% was based off the 3 lecture exams & final (the final could replace one lecture exam grade). Regardless of whether the lab TA was "easy" or "hard" he managed to even out the grade on how it would affect your overall. It is a tough class though. ATTEND CLASS, ITS MOST OF THE EXAMS
A majority of this class is like his genetics class. Lectures are boring. Sometimes babbles on about unimportant things. He promises to upload grades or lectures a certain day but uploads it a week(s) later. Wording on tests are a bit tricky. I taught myself from his PPTs rather than him. 3 exams (drops 1) + final 90% and attendance quizzes 10%
Dr. Martin makes evolution a fairly easy senior level class. However, lectures can be a little boring to listen to. I did not crack my book once do not buy it. Just study the power points one or 2 days before the test.
Dr. Martin is very passionate about what he teaches. He loves plants so he will talk about them a lot. He is very open to students asking questions in class. He also does a good job in explaining the difficult material. I recommend recording him and then going over the lectures to review what you missed.
10/10 would recommend. Dr Martin is truly a one of a kind professor. His lectures are pretty good, but the actual material being covered seemed so easy that you just wanted to slam your head against the table. However, please pay attention. It may seem like "omg I know hardy weinberg" but no, you don't. Just suck it up and pay attention.
He is a horrible professor, and I realize that teaching evolution means addressing creationist view points but his class was 90% mocking religion. I would have preferred if he had just taught evolution and left it at that. Also thinks he is funny, but isn't.
Dr. Martin is a great professor that is able to keep you engaged about the content with his silly dad jokes. Because this is an evolution course it stands to show that he would talk about creationism. In my personal opinion he was not mocking the idea of creationism however he did teach us how to pick out fallacious arguments.
Pretty good professor. You learn something new every day. Everything has examples, evidence, and he goes through the process of explaining everything clearly. He also takes in account of Creationist and what they have to say about evolution. He's respectful but there's only so much you can do without "offending" people
One of the best and most hilarious professors at Texas State. Class is test heavy, but just pay attention and look at the power points and your solid. If you scroll down, you'll find a comment saying that he "mocked religion." this is hilariously untrue. The presentation of arguments for and against evolution was adequately balanced.
One of the best I've had at the university
Dr. Martin is really funny and cool. Evolution is pretty boring, especially because we are forced to take this class. He never belittled religion, EVER! If you don't agree that evolution exists, change your major. Kinda unorganized, and his answer choices have you second guessing everything you thought you knew. Wish exams weren't the only grades/:
He is a great professor. Just show up to class and take notes. No textbook needed.
cool guy. Just sucks at uploading grades in a timely fashion. Also goes on tangents about things he's passionate about. Pretty interesting class. a few pop quizzes, 3 tests, and a cumulative final.
Why does Dr. Martin have bad reviews? I was dreading evolution but its required so I took it. He is an amazing professor. Makes the lectures interesting. As long as you go to class and read everything he tells you to there is no reason to get below a B. 3 tests, 1 comprehensive final and couple easy quizzes.
Great guy. I like that he embraces the "controversial" topic of creationism, and I understand why some may think he is bashing religion but he certainly is not. Anyways the course is VERY genetic's heavy. Would've made a B but the only grades you have are tests and I suck under pressure, plus the questions make you second guess yourself.
I had Dr. Martin for genetics and evolution, and he was really good for both of them. He is passionate about the subjects and makes the class interesting. He lets you look at the tests to see what you got wrong which is really helpful, because anything you don't get he will go over with you until you understand. If you skip you won't do well.
If you don't come to class, GOOD LUCK LOL. Everything that will be on the test is discussed in lectures, he's very straight forward. Test are tricky, be sure to read the questions and answers thoroughly. Lowest test grade is replaced by the final if it's higher than one of your previous exams. The final is the only exam that's curved.
In short, material comes straight from lectures so the book wasn't really worth getting. Lectures are pretty dry, the class was just "ok" overall. The questions on exams are worded in such a way you'll always second guess yourself and don't expect a curve on the exams. Would take another professor if available, but there probably isn't so good luck
His tests were horrible. Not just tricky, but horrible. He wrote his own tests, and there were at least 2 questions per test that were omitted because of wording. He loves to try to trip you up and ends up tripping himself up in the process. The only grades in lecture are tests, so if you have to take him, good luck and read the ?'s carefully.
Dr. Martin is a good professor. Somewhat sporadic, but he is very knowledgeable and willing to help when you need it. Tests are based off lecture. Like pretty much every college course, you have to work hard for your grade. Go to lecture, pay attention, take notes, watch videos online to understand major concepts, and you will do good.
He got bitten by a duck. He might still be lurking in the groupme. Cool professor 5 out of 5 chili peppers
If you have the option to take him or Forstner, TAKE HIM. Genetics is a tough class, so get a good lab grade to pull up your test scores. Pretty funny guy, lectures are super boring.
Good professor with a sense of humor. His lectures can get confusing since he kinda gets off track, but the material is not difficult. His exams are a reflection of his PowerPoints so study those and you should be fine.
He can be scatterbrained at times but is the best genetics professor at Texas state. He is really nice when you go to his office hours
During spring 2020 all students had to take classes online due to COVID-19. Before this only 1 exam was taken for this class, Dr. Martin decided to give students only the final exam with barely any info on how this exam will be. This final exam had 66 questions and the total number of students that received either an D or F was over 70.
I had Dr. Martin for Evolution and Genetics. He genuinely cares about his students. He once stopped class when he noticed a student having a bit of a breakdown and made sure they got the help they needed. Not many professors would do that. Hes one of Texas States finest. Hes not one to pass out As but its is doable and he will be there to help.
Lectures are pretty dry, but hey, it's genetics. The "Covid" semester, he cancelled every exam (except the first one we took pre-SB) and our final was worth 75% and the class average was a 62. The first "in-person" exam was alright. However he takes pride uploading his powerpoints 2 minutes before class begins for no reason.
Worst class i've taken yet! only tests! spring 2020 the final determined your overall grade in the class which was very stressful. His communication skills are trash, spent more time sending emails about Costa Rica than the actual class. His lectures are very boring, very monotone and stumbles on words.
Take all reviews during COVID-19 with a grain of salt. While in-person he was a super caring professor who would tell us what a majority of ques. would be on exams. I even had a debate about a question and won and got the points for it. Cool guy. When everything went online he tried his best and the other students didn't complain until they failed!
Noland Martin is a really good guy and decent Genetics professor. A lot of the test material is on his powerpoints, but you gotta know everything that's on there. There are a few equations to know as well but only a few of those questions are on each test. Pretty much just do well in lab and on the tests, and you'll pass. Do NOT skip this class!
Exams make you second guess yourself with the select all or a and b answer choices. Id say avoid him at all cost if youre not a good test taker and have anxiety with exams. Class is just wrapped around the exams nothing else.
No homework, no quizzes, and no book required. This seems great on paper but it meant the lecture grade was entirely made up of 3 exams and a final with each exam averaging 26 questions. The combination of lab IA roulette along with only being able to miss 2 questions per lecture made the class really stressful. Great professor overall though!
Where do I even start? The class was 100% zoom. He doesn't provide recorded lectures. Attendance isn't mandatory, but if you miss lecture, good luck. His PowerPoints barely have any information, and is not easy going AT ALL when grading tests. He's lowkey kind of rude when students were complaining about his teaching style or concerns about passing
Dr. Martin is a great professor trying his best, as we all are, during the pandemic. Class is not mandatory, lecture is not recorded, but the syllabus outlines where in the book he is teaching from on a given day. Tests are open note due to it being online, which is nice. Doing well requires actual studying and effort. Not a free ride, obviously.
I don't get the hype behind him, I took his online and it sucked! I've had to miss lecture sometimes due to work and his ppt's provide legit only two sentences so its super hard to study for exams. Not to mention we weren't allowed to go back and change answers, the textbook saved my butt from failing.
Online classes are difficult for students and professors alike, but Dr. Martin did not try to alleviate that during this COVID semester. Lectures were NOT recorded, powerpoints had little information, and he was kind of rude/not very approachable. He did make exams open note, but you could not go forward or backward on questions.
Basically, if you have Julia as an IA, you won't get an A. She tried her best but graded WAY too hard. The class wasn't hard just go to lectures, he doesn't record them. Tests are open everything but he made them non-googlable which was annoying. Also a little bit creepy/awkward with girls in the class, but I think he was joking.
The exams are open book, open note, open internet, but you will seriously fail if you don't study the powerpoints. My best advice is to actually apply yourself from the start or you'll spend the end of the semester trying to save yourself like me. You will not find exam answers anywhere online, so do not rely on that.
great guy, but a not great Genetics professor. its just because the whole grade of his class was test based, and even though the tests were open note they were impossible. His tests are all multiple answer and were worded very weird. go to office hours and argue for points back on test questions & he might give it to u if ur argument is valid
Clearly understands evolution but, class is presented in a "falsifying" creationism format. Feigns respectfulness and niceties but is pretty straightforward in how he really feels about it. Sad part is that his understanding of creationism is very misconstrued. He should take an ethics course because his arguments are severely fallacious. Easy tho
The grade for evolution was only based on the 4 exams, the exams are harder than they should be, seemingly meant to be tricky. I wish there were more assignments to cushion the grade. Lectures were kinda boring
Dr. Martin is a great professor. Evolution is not a hard class, mostly is a review from genetics. The class is based on 4 exams and an optional final (replace lowest exam). There are quizlets that can have similar questions on the exams. Also, GO to his office hours. He gives points back if there is an error or explain to him why you got a Q wrong.
He is a very a very knowledgeable professor, however his exams are pretty tough. Exam are open note but most of the questions are "select all that apply." You really have to put in work and read over the big concepts to get the A.
Never responds to emails won't show up to his office hours. There are 3 tests and final, If you can't make a test he's no help and just says the final will make up for it. His tests are really weird and pretty much everyone makes a D and you get a B if you do well in lab
Didn't post my exam grade until after the drop deadline. Ignored multiple emails and didn't even bother responding acknowledging it was posted.
He is an awful professor, there are 4 tests and no extra credit. You have to make an A in lab if you want a B overall. He never responds to emails and blames the class for not emailing him when he makes a mistake.
I took Dr. Martin in Spring'21 & it was the worst class ever. I studied so hard & still wouldn't do well, my saving grace was lab. He's kinda shady towards students in the GroupMe and wouldn't provide recordings of lecture and talks too fast to write notes. Tests are the only grades making it harder to bump your letter grade up. No extra credit.
No chili peppers, no hotness. This class was a disaster. He gets so behind on lectures and rushes through remaining material. He doesn't explain concepts well and I basically had to teach myself the second half of the course because his lectures are all over the place.
One of the worst professors Ive had. Nice guy, but not a great teacher :(
Professor Martin is truly a good guy at heart, but not a great professor. He is a researcher, so the class comes second. Lectures are very rushed. The only graded material is the 4 exams + the final, and your lab grade. He doesn't email back. Good luck finding him in his office during his supposed office hours. If you have another option take it!!!
before making a decision using these innacurate, pessimistic reviews of him, listen to Me, the source of ultimate truth and accuracy in regard to the performance of professor Martin. Not doing well is solely due to lack of honest work. People shouldnt rely on their professors to hold their hand for every step of the learning. He is also funny!!!
I love Dr.Martin, you are only graded by exams. To do well on those exams you simply just need to make exam reviews about the lectures and you will be fine. Those comments about him bashing religious people his a lie. As a Christian, I walked away with my beliefs and a better understanding of Evolution. He's literally a chill professor.
Its not a hard class but he's an awful professor. Some students in the class would explain what he's trying to say way better than he does. He only has 4 tests a semester with an optional final but you have to teach yourself everything because he is so misunderstanding. Goes on a lot of tangents. Good guy but terrible professor.
Not the worst but not the best. grades come from exams and lab. I think if your great at teaching yourself then maybe but also go to his lecture. office hours help a little but its hard to ask questions when you yourself are confused. ppt is honestly a little all over the place. I wouldn't recommend him that much. find a study buddy.
Noland is a great guy, he's funny and obviously cares a lot about what he does. He can get off-topic in his lectures. There's no homework so it's hard to take in all the information and effectively memorize it for exams. Exams can also be tricky. I liked Noland, but I just wish I could've had a bit of better chance at helping my grades.
The material isn't all that difficult, but this guy must think he is in Lord of the Rings the way he words his exams. no extra credit or curves. All around, an unenjoyable class to take.
His exams are not for the weak, prepare to feel tricked, deceived, and exhausted. Paying attention in lectures do not help. While I can respect the student-teacher conversation, every lecture he spent 30 minutes answering questions that can be asked in office hours not lecture.
seriously avoid. whether he means to or not he gives off the "I don't care" mood. not that great at responding or answering your questions in emails. said he would hold a review for the final during office hours and failed to do so. the professor made this class dreadful. favorite word is "sure" during office hours. frustrating. don't recommend.
Avoid taking this class with this professor. There is no curve and tests are difficult. He did not have a review for the final exam like he said he would. Also cancels office hours a lot.
This is my second time taking this course and I got another F. The class is graded only by exams and they are awful. I stayed up all night studying for each test and failed each one. What a joke. Lab is also part of the grade, but I had an 8am class and could not get up for it. They set me up for failure.
The only thing in your grade is the tests and lab. No homework assignments at all. Good luck.
The low ratings bewilder me. He is one of the best professors I have ever taken. Genetics is the gateway to every upper level biology, so don't expect a cake walk.4 tests are your grade. Study his slides! He is hilarious, very engaging, super approachable, and honestly makes the content so easy to understand. I can't recommend him enough.
all im gonna say regarding the lecture portion of the class is this: i can confirm EVERYTHING the comments below say (tldr: great guy great lectures but the tests/grading breakdown....lord) as for the lab i will say i kind of brought that D on myself lmao the grade is mainly quizzes none of which i remembered to prepare myself for so. yeah
Funny and pretty chill guy. His lectures started getting a little boring and he does tend to go on tangents a lot. The tests aren't horrible they're based off of the exam and he allowed cheat sheets this semester,still studying is needed. The lab is harder than the actual class. When you think you don't need to put in effort,put in more,its a trick
The first test is a breeze if you just took Organismal, the rest are much harder. He did allow us cheat sheets, which was helpful. Grades only on tests, but they are multiple choice and one can replace and so can the final. Decently hard lab that averages in. Weird thing with test 3 where some student took online days later, hope he fixes that
Class is fine, just focus on the lab. The only grades in the lecture are the exams. I lost respect for this professor after the ways he had treated some students, especially after being confronted about letting a group of students take their exam online while everyone else had to take it in person, I don't care about the test, he was just so rude.
Genetics is not super hard so long as you keep up with the material. Noland is a great guy who teaches the course fairly. He's fun to talk to, very down to earth, and will help you within reason. Go to lecture because he will tell you what is on the exams. Pay attention too because he may add extra credit questions about things he said in lecture.
Bro has no hw and classes are a bit boring but hes nice af.Stuff will happen and he isnt perfect. People complained about 1/3 of people getting to take the test online. But he sqrewed up and he was just trying to do his best and for that semester he did grade curves to kids. If ur good with tests take him .35-50 q test pick E alot
He kind of reminds me of an austrailian wombat but like in the best way possible. Also I would recommend to go to his office hours to review tests.
The exams are not easy, requires critical thinking and do your own homework outside of class. I recommend going to his office hours to go over missed questions on the exams because it will help you if you need to take the optional final. He can be blunt towards students sometimes but he still means well if you are willing to learn. Also No Curves!
Would not suggest taking if you have other options. Your grade is 100% based off exams with no study guides or study sheets.
The only things accessible to you on canvas will be his lecture slides and a pdf of lecture objectives that he states he bases the exams off of. Good luck deciding what to study because his slides are incredibly over specific, and objectives very broad. He does not make an effort to teach things in a digestible way. This is a teach-yourself class.
I disagree with other ratings about how he doesn't provide us with study guides. The course objectives (that is separated by lecture topic) is the study guide and is pretty relevant to exams. I will say however, some questions on the exam are worded so badly that they don't make sense and I HATE the extra "none of the above" on every question.
He knows so much to the point where I think he doesn't know how to explain this to people with no prior knowledge. Lecture slides are extremely detailed but he wants you to learn the big picture stuff for exams somehow. He seems like a genuinely cool dude, but his class, exams, and learning goals need to align. The textbook was more helpful.
Really nice guy with a lot of knowledge. The biggest downside was the constant cancelled lectures (replaced with online lectures last minute), rushing of materials towards end of course, and he takes forever to put in grades. Final is optional and replaces lower grade. He isn't posting exam 4 grade until the day before the final. Very stressful.
Dr. Martin is very knowledgeable and is very nice! His exams make no sense though... I have never felt so humbled and stupid when taking exams. The way he words certain questions is sick work. I never knew how to study for exams because the way he explained concepts in class was very confusing. You get a drop exam though.
Dr. Martin was a good professor, but his lectures & tests were sometimes confusing to understand. He encourages questions but can go on tangents. Very nice guy though, if you go to class & ask for help you should be ok. Often canceled class and rushed A LOT at the end of the sem partially because of this. Optional final (or he drops lowest exam)
He was a nice guy, but he had no respect for students' time/money, often canceling classes. Some cancellations were due to family emergencies, and others were for selfish reasons. As a compromise, he allowed cheat sheets on some exams, how about you do your job? Not a difficult class as some make it out to be, but a laughably mediocre Professor.
Took genetics in the fall and overall great professor. The content can be hard but he's great about holding office hours and answering questions. His tests are based off his lectures and powerpoints so take good notes, consistently study, reach out and ASK QUESTIONS, then you're pretty much guaranteed an A.
Dr. Martin is amazing. The class is hard but you just need to focus on the lecture slides for the exams. He curves every exam, especially the final to help students out. Lab is tough but he has nothing to do with it. If you have a choice for genetics, take him!!
The exams require critical thinking, but going to office hours helps. The professor can be blunt but means well. unstuck ai was a great study tool alongside the free textbook. Attendance is mandatory, but the class is manageable with effort.
lazy ahh dude low test for sure
I got lucky and took his class when he allowed cheat sheets for exams, otherwise my grade would have been much lower. His lectures are very content heavy but he does stop and answer question in class. Take really good notes and listen to what he says, sometimes an exam question will be something he talked about, not what's in the notes.
AWFUL. His lectures are all over the place and he doesnt even give clear instructions on what will be on exams. Each exam is worth 23% and the lab is worth 30%. no homeworks no reviews no example questions. Get ready to cry over this class. and yes there is a cheat sheet but girl dont get your hopes up because he gives no guidance on to put on them
Dr. Martin expects you to do the work but you're not completely alone. He's very accessible for office hours to help out if you're struggling and he allows cheat sheets and offers exam review sheets. I would STRONGLY recommend you don't skip any lectures. He really goes over everything that's going to be on the exams during lecture.
Some people who use rate my professor are giving really unfair and unjust reviews of Professor Martin. Is it a tough class? Yeah. BECAUSE YOU'RE IN COLLEGE. Change your major from a STEM path if you refuse to do any thinking for yourself. STEM is known to be difficult so why do you enter a class expecting it to be a piece of cake? He's a great prof
He is a good professor! Although attendance is optional, I really suggest showing up and paying close attention. You may think you know everything from high school classes or early college courses, but this class goes deeper into detail and may throw you off. He gives exam reviews to help prepare for the test and allows a cheat sheet.
I hope you're enjoying your Bloody Mary reading this! He really sucks horribly & can't stop getting sidetracked. He doesn't know his stuff as he puts all of the above on a test as an excuse for not checking his work. If he wants to be better, do extra credit and allow double cheat sheets for the final. Do it and you may get a better 🌶️score (rn 0)
The worst professor i've ever taken. Take LEGIT anyone else
I suppose one could say that Professor Martin's genetics course was "educational" in the same way that watching paint dry might teach one about patience. How wonderful it was to sit through an 80-minute lecture where complex concepts were explained with all the clarity of a mud puddle after a rainstorm.
I liked him better than Forstner lol, better lectures and explanations and definitely less condescending.
I haven't had many bad professors throughout my college career. Noland is top of my very short list. Just save yourself the pain and take any other genetics professor at TXST.
Genetics is a terrible class. Dr Martin made the experience a 100x worse. 10/10 one of the worst profs I've ever had.
Worst class/professor I've ever taken at TXST
I was excited at first, but his teaching style ruined it. I studied everyday, used all of his resources & still got a C on exams. His tests are confusing and poorly worded, hint sheets sent out 1-2 days before exam. Cheat sheets & lecture objectives for help, but not enough. Lab helps. Him saying "only 12 of 200 of you will get this" says a lot.
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100%
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11%
Textbook Required
20%
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