Seeing that last post really made me shake my head. Dr. LaPointe is one of the best professors I have had in my undergraduate career. Sure he does not read directly off the slides, but he has so many amazing anecdotes to add to help you understand concepts. My advice, take this course, you will not regret it.

Dr. LaPointe is a very knowledgeable professor and a great guy overall, take this class with him you won't regret it! Tests are more than fair and his notes are perfect.

Dr. LaPointe is clearly very intelligent and passionate about cells and loves to delve into the complexities of cell bio. He is funny, casual, and engaged with students. He would probably spend days discussing cells and research given the chance. He willingly answers questions. Discussion papers were quite difficult and not given much guidance.

Dr. Lapointe was a very good professor given it was his first time teaching Cell 201. The marks breakdown was more than fair, 3 non-cumulative midterms (no final), 2 relatively straightforward discussion papers, and weekly eClass quizzes, all of which were more than reasonable if you put the effort in.

Paul Lapointe is probably one of the only professors I've had that talks to students as equals and provides you with all the assistance he can give you. Really great guy and really great class. I literally would take any class with him as prof, I've never had a prof as helpful and friendly as him.

Defs one of the harder biology courses (& thats compared to genet270) even though the material is high school & first year knowledge with some in-depth protein and mechanisms. Dr. LaPointe knows his stuff, definitely made the class bearable and was an absolute sweetheart when help was needed. Avoid the class if you can, but Paul is a must have !

Paul is very nice and I would recommend him. Watch out for his exams though. They are three non cumulative exams, but are very detail heavy and studying hard will pay off. Other than that, there was two small written response papers that with reasonable effort you can do well on. Also he answers questions or concerns about material very strongly.

Cell201 was an extremely difficult course, because the material was so heavy. Paul did an excellent job of explaining things though. Sometimes he would go too in detail and it would get confusing. Make sure to stay on top of things in this class, and beware of his exams- they're some of the hardest I've written.

Paul is an absolute gem, although the course is heavy. The grading was very straightforward, 3 non-cumulative tests and 2 assignments. No textbook needed! Paul is very knowledgeable, and explains difficult concepts in a simple way. He's funny, efficient, and not hard on the eyes either.

Great prof, pretty cute, would doodle portraits of him in class again. Notes are very well organized and the paper topics were easy. Exam questions sometimes feature textbook material that wasn't done in class, but its ok. Just one thing: every class he has his mug of coffee(?) and he sips it by raising his entire arm and elbow, its pretty funny.

Paul is a great human being, he explained an imaging procedure to me after class, staying twenty minutes late to answer questions from a dozen people before me. When he got to me he made a star wars reference to help explain the concept and was super friendly. He also drinks from a Pilsner coffee mug everyday. What a gem.

Paul is great so far for Cell 201! His lectures are interesting and his slides are great to study off of, easy quizzes after every lecture. You have to put in work and study to do well as the tests are not the easiest, but they are very fair and based on his slides. No textbook needed! Would definitely take a class with him again.

Paul is great for Cell 201! Great lectures and his notes contain everything you need to know, no textbook required for this class. Hard exams, but they are fair and studying hard will pay off. Lots of material to know for each, but material is more broad than hard. 3 non-cumulative MTs, 2 paper asst's, easy quizzes after each class. Great prof!

Paul was great for Cell 201! He taught the material in an interesting way and his lectures were never boring, explained everything well. This class is detail heavy and studying hard will pay off, especially for the second midterm! Easy quizzes after each lecture, 2 short paper assignments, 3 non-cumulative midterms, and no final. Great class!

Paul was a great prof for cell 201. He explained the material well and had good analogies to memorize it, tests were somewhat hard but fair if you studied well, second midterm was the hardest so prepare lots for this one! 3 non-cumulative exams, 2 discussion papers and eClass quizzes after each lecture. Great class overall.

Paul Lapointe is honestly one of the best profs I've had. He's so friendly, and if you come by his office he'll show you the techniques we talk about in class. There's only three exams (no final), two paper assignments, and a quiz for each topic. He also created a VR app for topics and gave us free google cardboards. Honestly just a top notch prof!

Really enjoyed Dr. LaPointe and his teaching strategy. Would highly recommend to friends. You do not need to buy the textbook because all information is on his slides, but if you do get the one that was made for the UofA. Three exams that are non-cumulative, second exam is the hardest.

Great prof. Definitely takes the time to address difficult concepts. raj bapuji was right!

Very charismatic, helpful during office hours as well. Lectures are clear, concise powerpoint notes given before class. Great teacher, and I got help from raj bapuji which made it way more manageable.

Paul is one of the nicest people I have ever met, he also the most passionate about Cell biology. His lectures are engaging and he goes above and beyond to give examples of things and use references to explain things. This is not an easy class and he tests on knowledge, not memorization but that being said just ask him to explain something he will

Paul is one of the best profs I've had in my four years of undergrad. You can tell that he is invested in the material and he challenges you to continually further your understanding of the content. Tests were definitely not easy but it was a fantastic course and an easy recommendation.

Dr. Lapointe is easily one of the best profs I've ever had. His jokes are hilarious and he really cares his students. He is always willing to explain things more if needed. Exams are fair if you keep up with the material. Recycles some quiz questions on the exams. 3 exams, non cumulative, no final. Material is really helpful for other bio courses.

g.o.a.t

Enjoyed his teaching style and course content. He is rushed, but encourages students to record lectures, so make sure you do. Sticks around after class to answer Q's but he can be kind of rude and short sometimes. Papers are a waste of time and you don't even get them back to improve for next time. Tests are pretty fair but can test minute details.

He made me like cell biology again. Exams are hard but non-cumulative, and his notes are clear and easy to follow; his lectures also make some boring content way more interesting. One of my favorite profs this semester.

Definitely a lecture heavy prof. After the first midterm, people started to record the lectures because what he says in class is very valuable. I wasn't a fan of the assignments because it was difficult to judge what he expected from us. But the lectures are interesting and informative. Take this class if you plan to do research in biology.

One of the best profs I have ever had! Really good at explaining concpepts so go to class. His tests are tricky but as long as you study well ahead of time you will be just fine. The best part of the class is that there is no final, there is only 3 non-cummulative midterms (second midterm is the heaviest/toughest). Overall great prod and class!!

The best bio prof at UofA! His exams are quite tough (especially the second midterm) but trying to study the tiny details in the notes helps. Paul is really helpful and is willing to meet students outside of class. He answers emails really quickly and gives good analogies to understand concepts. Overall a really good class and prof!

A lot of content and material in this course (especially for the second midterm) but the course is designed pretty well. It is evident that Paul really cares about his students and the course. Hes a really great lecturer that tries to get the point across very well. Would definitely recommend his class and him and a lecturer.

This class was great, the lectures were really interesting and Dr. Lapointe seems to actually give a crap whether or not we are doing well 10/10 would take again.

Dr. Lapointe is the coordinator for CELL research courses. He tries really hard to make sure his students understand the research they are doing. While I appreciate how much he cares, it can be sometimes difficult because he asks for specific details in the final paper which can be hard to write depending on the research you did. Still good overall

Number one advice: RECORD LECTURES the notes he gives will make much more sense when you listen to how he explains it. This prof is amazing and gives hints to his exams. Overall, I found the last exam to be the hardest, but others have said the second one is content heaviest. Get ready to read research papers ;)

Paul has by far been my favorite professor over my degree so far!! His lectures are engaging and although everything in his notes he often uses examples that show up on the exam. The best thing about this class is there is only two midterms which were harder but fair, and two papers you need to read and answer questions on - super simple questions!

Wonderful, super kind prof. Course was very memorization heavy so the exams were hard but fair. The assignments he gave were relatively easy. He will explain things to you over and over until you understand them in his office hours. Overall awesome prof! Take this course with him instead of biol 201. They are equivalent and this one is much better.

I could not give a professor a better review! I am very disappointed he does not teach more classes other than 201. I had him during the COVID-19 situation and he was the most responsive, respectful, caring prof. He made me more interested in cell biology than I have ever been and sometimes the content was dry but he explains difficult concepts wel

An amazing prof. I wish Dr. Lapointe taught more courses. I always look forward to lectures and Dr. Lapointe explains stuff to easily. If you can take CELL 201 instead of BIOL 201 , DO IT. No labs aswell, you do read two papers that can take awhile to really grasp fully.

Paul was by far one of the best profs I've had in university. His lectures are a bit longer than the usual but they are definitely worth staying until the end for. For online classes, he had synchronous lectures but posted recordings a few hours after class. It's really obvious that he's passionate about what he's teaching <3 <3

One of my most useful undergrad courses. Great guy who has so much knowledge!

Dr. LaPointe is awesome!! The content of the course is hard, but he explains it in a way that is engaging and understandable. Further, the assessments are fair and he really helps his students prepare for them (i.e. office hours, review sessions). Also, he's super funny... I always laugh at some point during every lecture. Highly recommend.

Really good proff! Course material is a little boring but he was really helpful and I genuinely believe he wanted all the students to do well. Has some really challenging questions on exams, especially on the first midterm, but just go to office hours if you're confused with a topic and he will help. Also A+ movie references lol.

Dr. Lapointe made a content heavy course very enjoyable and broke down concepts with clever analogies during lectures. He was also very helpful during office hours, and I highly recommend him!!

Dr. LaPointe is an excellent professor. You can tell he's passionate about what he's teaching which makes the course more engaging. He cares about his students and their success. He even offered to help us reach out to other professors with regards to potential research positions. Truly one of the best professors I've had.

Paul's passion for what he teaches made me realise how insanely interesting cell biology is.

An amazing professor! The course itself was very content heavy, but his use of examples makes it easy to understand. Very accommodating, and can tell he genuinely loves what he teaches. Always accessible outside classes! Tests tend be difficult, but study lectures and you'll be good!

Cell 201 is a heavy course, don't kid yourself it is not an easy A. However, Dr. LaPointe is an absolute gem. He has been so kind and so accommodating this semester. His midterms are a little tough, but if you study you should be fine! 2/10 for Cell 201 (don't take if you don't have to), but 11/10 for Dr. LaPointe such a nice guy!

Class format was great (3 non-cumulative open book exams, 2 papers that were time consuming but beneficial for understanding concepts and were graded very leniently). Course material is hard (I had to rewatch every lecture) BUT LaPointe made the class as easy as it gets. Grades were STRICT cutoffs but exam averages were v. high so you cant complain

As of Fall 2021, all exams were open book and non-cumulative with no final. Quizzes were also open book and with multiple attempts each. Though the exams were open book, studying is still recommended to avoid a time crunch (not all q's were easily ctrl f...). Cutoffs were strict due to high class average. Overall a relatively easy class.

Paul's nice, but a little toooo nice. He was too accommodating, which led to a v high class average. Part of being a good student is being able to deliver with actual deadlines, not just sloppy exam timeframes where anyone who hasn't seen lecture can catch up and do well. Other than that though, he's great. Accessible outside of class & helpful.

Dr. Lapointe was a real gem he has an infinite trove of analogies and examples to explain concepts very clearly. The cut offs were strict since the class is not curved or scaled, and somehow the class achieved an A- average because of this, yet he still didnt scale it to stay true to his word but to compensate was strict about the cut offs.

Awesome human and prof! The class is definitely difficult but he allowed students to schedule the exams flexibly and kept to his word of a scaled class even with the high average achieved. You definitely do have to work for the grade though, the content can be pretty tough.

At first I really didnt like his lecture style or the complexity of the course. Then I introduced different study methods and I saw a dramatic difference with the second midterm. This course is definitely not easy. You need to reach out to other resources to support your learning. If you work hard and consistently youll definitely get an A.

Dr. Lapointe is an experienced and hilarious professor. His lectures are content-heavy; sometimes it can be hard to stay focused, but he recorded each lecture. He incorporates metaphors to help grasp concepts better. The course consisted of 3 semi-cumulative exams (no final), 2 research papers, and mini quizzes for each lecture. Interesting class!

Most accommodating professor ever. A class where you won't necessarily feel much stress/pressure if you're understanding the lecture material and keeping up.

Amazing and kind professor who truly wants you to succeed. Tests are fair if you study!

Caring, funny, interesting prof! Lecture slides were confusing to make notes of because the title for each slide doesnt really specify a "topic" (not a big deal). 2 assignments worth 5% each collaborative, make sure to pay attention to what each q is asking. 3 Midterms open book easy-middle hard (know the techniques like western blot etc)

CELL 201 is a very in-depth course and is not easy by most standards, but you do have open-book non-cumulative exams and no final, if you can take this over BIOL 201, I would recommend it. Its not an easy A and you will have to understand the concepts being taught which can be abstract. Prof. Lapointe is great too and records lectures too.

honestly one of my favourite professors, he's so passionate about what he teaches and makes analogies to topics to increase your understanding. Very nice and helpful if you need extra help. The exams were a time crunch because they are open-book and online, with a few application-based questions. But averages are high and the class is not curved.

Very accommodating, fun lecturer, and very easy to get a good mark (this sem course average was an A-). Content can be a little confusing especially in lecture but if reviewed or if lectures are rewatched it makes a lot more sense. 1st and last midterms were easy. Middle was tougher (make a flowchart for pathways).

Dr. Lapointe was very respectful and showed care to his students. He was very accessible outside class and willing to talk about how you can get into research. He also recorded the lectures which was very helpful and exams were open book. However, it's important to still read the material ahead of time to be successful on the class. Cell201>BIOL201

Dr. Lapointe is a chill guy, to be honest. His analogies in class helped me understand a lot of the concepts. The midterms were all pretty fair, and nothing is trying to trick you so read carefully. The textbook is not required but it helped me a lot so I would recommend it for future students.

Dr Lapointe is exceptional. He always made complex cell biology topics easy to understand by coming up with analogies and by making connections within the material. Grades were 80% exams, which were mildly challenging but he tells you the type of questions to expect and how to study for tests. DEFINITELY Take this course with him over BIOL 201.

Lapointe is awesome. His analogies are great for explaining things, he's always cracking jokes and the material is interesting. The open-note tests have some difficult application questions, but with some studying, they're manageable. The detailed info about signalling pathways is super helpful for other courses. Definitely recommend over BIOL201

Dr. Lapointe was really great, although he does tend to ramble a bit, which is fine as there is a lot of material to get through a day. There were two assignments on top of three midterms. The assignments were not as easy to understand why we got marks off, although you could email the TA's to get more insight into the grading. Thanks for the sem!

Literally a king, you won't regret taking his class. The questions are application based so you have to know your stuff, but he explains things really well and is very approachable if you have questions.

Such a great professor!! He records the lectures too. Very kind and very willing to help.

Great prof, very caring and enthusiastic. Lectures are recorded, exams open-book and online. Exams are easy if you study the slides, some questions can be tricky. Content heavy, but a lot is review from high school bio and biol 107.

Exams were really short on time but we're open book. Would recommend compiling notes into one doc and formatting it so you can quickly find information. Great course and very interesting just very content dense. Also posts lecture recordings later which was amazing for studying for exams. Nice prof and provides so.e great online resources.

Class only had 3 exams that were noncumulative only downside is that they had so many questions for such little time. Wasn't too bad though, he's a nice guy and a good prof :)

he was so hardcore. but very nice so that was chill

Great prof

Paul is a great prof. Lectures are long and sometimes he struggles to go through it all in a block but overall interesting. Content itself was easy imo, built on stuff from earlier classes but just with a bit more detail. exams aren't open book anymore but I'd say fair and easy if you study well. I recommend flash cards and drawing mechanisms.

Get ready for a lot of 2-by-4 lumber analogies. Incredible professor.

He used an interactive online textbook, which is not mandatory. It is helpful in some ways, there are animations which help with understanding. but memorization is locking in so at some point the videos don't matter much. also he gave an extra 2% for completion. Great prof, funny analogies, practice exams are a good rep of the actual exam no curve

There is a considerable amount of content in his lectures. His slides are sparse, so you really have to listen to what he says. He records his lectures, which you can view at your own convenience. The recordings are SUPER HELPFUL as he does rush through his slides.

He made the class very engaging, although there was a lot of content covered per lecture. The lectures were recorded and posted online which was incredibly helpful, and the textbook is online and not mandatory. A lot of memorization but the exams weren't too difficult and they were semi-cumulative.