3.2
Quality3.9
Difficulty42%
Would Retake385
Reviews42%
Would Retake
385
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
385 total ratings5
116
4
73
3
60
2
56
1
80
What Students Say
“She seems to think that it is her responsibility to re-invent the wheel”
BIO1210 - 1.0 rating“Renee is a nice person, but a suboptimal instructor”
BIO2210 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
86%
Textbook Required
21%
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2210
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(1)BIO101
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(1)123
4.0
(1)BIOLOGY1210
4.0
(2)BIO1212
4.0
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BIOL1020
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BIOLOGY1210
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Reviews (299)
I loved taking Bio 1210 from Rene! She is absolutely hilarious and is enthusiastic with her teaching. She's a goof ball and makes Biology really fun. The material might seem challenging, but Rene genuinely cares about her students doing well. If you do the ASQs and Mastering Biology you will be golden.
She is a good teacher, but she is very very tough. GO to class and do the ASQS and do the extra credit and study study study. This class is hard! Make sure you have a study group because they will definitely be helpful. She is nice and funny but her teaching style wasn't very helpful for me.
Ineffective teacher. Tests are poorly written with vague questions. She has to explain several problems per test multiple times because students don't understand them, after which people still don't understand. Assigned problem sets do not help with tests or quizes. Tries to trick students rather than test what you have learned in class.
She is a very nice person, but out of her element in this class. She was very frazzled for most of her lectures and she would tell us that she hasn't read the part of the book that she assigned. Very unorganized. I hear she is great for the easier human genetics class that focuses more on popular science.
Renee 's class is hard. I recommend to do ASQ's. I didn't do them at first and it KILLED me. All the exam questions look exactly like them so DO IT!! Go to class & you will have a better chance of passing! If you fail your first exam don't give up. I got 48100 & i still can manage to get a B in the class. Study hard this class is difficult.
She offers a lot of extra credit, but she does not give nearly enough time for tests. She is one of the most friendly professors I have ever had, but I didn't learn a thing from her class and she expects too much considering how little she teaches. I had to take her class twice just to barely pass with a C+. Genetics is tough but COME ON!
Her class was very difficult if you are the type who doesn't study but she makes it very fun and captivating. Her questions are only vague if you attempt to just memorize rather than understand the material. She is very enthusiastic and the class is a lot of work and time and do your ASQs. She tries to help you succees with EC and otherassignments
Renee is great in class lecture. However, her exams are a different story. They are much more challenging than what is presented in class. Good news is that she offers other assignments to buffer the low exam grades. The ASP's, extra credit opportunities, and TA sessions are a MUST to do well in her class.
Renee is a nice person, but a suboptimal instructor. She is disorganized and focused too much on trying to teach the class her learning methods. We have all taken advanced science classes such as O-Chem and physiology and know our own learning techniques. I would ask that she clearly demonstrates the key principles and let us take it from there.
The lectures and homework are very easy, but the tests are extremely hard. Renee does give ASQ's which are essential to passing, if you study them a lot you will do fine in the course. She is also very willing to help you out if you have an issues and is extremely nice.
Renee's teaching stye was unclear and disorganized. Exams were confusing and not enough time was given to complete them. I believe that our class comprehension of key principles decreased during the semester based on a comprehensive quiz. Genetics seems like an interesting subject, but taking it from Dawson was frustrating.
Renee is an awesome genetics teacher. She is very enthusiastic and is willing to take time to help you with any questions you might have before and after class. Her assigned study problems were super helpful when it came to studying and it was exactly what you needed to know for the exams (plus everything she highlighted in red in her slides) :)
Renee is by far the best biology teacher I have had at the University of Utah. She is willing to take as much time as needed outside of class in order to help her students understand the concepts and do well on the exams and quizzes. This is a class that requires work throughout the semester but she is there for you every step of the way.
Renee is a great teacher. The course if VERY challenging but I think she did a wonderful job for such a fast pass class. She was constantly talking about how to improve and make it better for us. She asks for feedback. She gives extra credit and if you do ASQ's, homework, clicker, and attend class it seems impossible not to pass.
Attend all of the lectures, do the ASQs (practice exams, very helpful!) 2-3 times before each quizexam, keep up with the homeworkextra credit and you should come out with a B or better. Renee loves to teach biology and help students out. If you are ever confused make sure to talk to her or a TA at discussion so you don't fall behind!
I really liked Dawson's lectures, I though she really tired to help students as much as she could. She is really cool if you take the time to go to her office hours and just talk to her about any concerns you have. Understand she does have hard tests, but the TA's really helped pull me through! Do Assigned Study Questions (ASQs), and extra credit!
Disappointed.
She seems unorganized in her approach, course slides are hard to follow wout class attendance. She does a good job of highlighting important topics and reminding you of what will be on the test. DO the Assigned Study Questions she posts, as they are similarexactly what the exam ?s will be. Other examquiz ?s come from mastering biology homework.
She is one the best professors I have ever had at the U. She challenges you to learn the material. Her expectations are clear on what material you should know for the exams. She uses simple language to describe complex biological processes. She understands students and has compassion. I would study 6hrs before exams! work hard, you'll be fine!
Although Renee's class was one of the most difficult classes I've ever taken, she is also one of the most caring professors I've had. If you ever need help she will stay after class until you feel comfortable with the material. It was great to see a professor who cares about her student and who they are instead of thinking of them as a number!
Dawson is very approachable and an awesome person overall. Her sense of humor keeps lectures interesting. Do the ASQ's and you will pass no problem. I would take another class from her for sure.
super broad topics and really hard tests. I went to all of the extra stuff and still failed. I had a hard time with the tests. that is the most important. and same with quizes. really short but really hard.
Renee is very passionate about what she teaches and made genetics extremely interesting. Tests and quizzes were difficult but by doing and understanding the ASQ (assigned study questions) they are fair and manageable. Also was very open to questions and would do anything to help a student out. wants students to truly succeed and do well in class.
Tests/quizzes are tricky. But overall her class was enjoyable because she is really funny and actually cares that you succeed. She replies to emails fast, and always makes herself available if you need her. the trickiness of the tests and quizzes was the only downside to the class. But she offers like 25 pts EC over the semester.
Renee is one of the best professors! I had to take her class twice because the tests and quizzes are very tricky, but if you do the ASQ and read the material, you'll do fine! She really cares about her students and will help you if you are struggling. Going to class is a must!!!
Renee is a great teacher. She is quirky, but is passionate and most the time class is enjoyable! Tests and quizzes are difficult. DO THE ASQs they help a ton! Overall great class and teacher
She had two classes, 200+ and 30+ people. Transferred into the 30+ asap. That saved my grade. She explains the ideas behind learning and teaching the first class, so I was able to fall into step with the curriculum very quickly. Very down to earth. Have group study sessions and go over the materials she gives you. It's meant to be a hard class.
Tests are hard. Not helpful
You will never feel prepared for her weekly quizzes. Homework takes hours on end to complete each week. It's like getting knowledge through a fire hose. She tries to cover so much information, you won't be confident in what you know. It's not clear cut or at all clear what you're supposed to know. This is one of the most failed classes. Good luck.
Professor Dawson is as passionate about biology as she is passionate about teaching. Go to class. Also, work through every problem she assigns as homework multiple times and you will do well in her classes and learn a ton. She wants you to succeed and she wants you to learn. She is also hilarious!
Does not explain things clearly and her quizzes/tests are only partly based on what is available to study in the book. In order to study, one must rely on her poorly explained slides and a plethora of other scattered materials. It is a hassle. Would not recommend her if you learn best from personal study.
I dislike how Dawson requires you to process and regurgitate material in very specific, not always intuitive ways. It's how she understands it best, but not how I do. She's very straightforward; the ASQ's are the key to success. I do feel as if AP Biology (which I got a 5 on the exam for) gave me a better foundation than this course would.
Expects students have a good background in bio 2020 and 1210. Instead of explaining new concepts clearly, tells the class that the material is easy so they should know. Best chance to succeed is attending discussions and doing the suggested problems. Yet, test questions can seem out of the blue. Lectures more on her interest than test material.
Don't get me wrong, Dawson is a great person, but teacher wise, she is terrible. The quizzes every week will wear you down, the exam questions are flipped in all ways, and the study material is very unorganized. If you want to learn anything about basic biology, do not take it from Dawson.
Renee does an excellent job of teaching complex material simply. She is sensitive to the needs of students and accordingly is flexible on when she assigns homework due dates. She has weekly quizzes which are a pain in the neck, but are really good to prepare for tests. Her style of forcing you to know material in and out is excellent.
Her test and quiz questions are bizarre and confusing unless you have a very thorough understanding of the concepts. To give her credit, she takes a lot of testing material from Assigned study questions (ASQ's). You could read the textbook five times over and still fail, so having a clear understanding of the ASQ's is ESSENTIAL to doing well.
Renee is an awesome teacher. Even though the class is tough at times you will not learn more about Biology from any other teacher in an easier way. She has weekly quizzes but practically gives you the answers to them before them in her ASQs. She also is funny and you can really tell she loves what she does. She made me really love biology.
Mrs Dawson is a good person. Don't get me wrong she's a good person. But as a teacher she is very unclear on the fact that her class is a gen Ed. She expcets students in her class to be going in a bio major. She is also very unclear on what she teaches and her test questions are very confusing.
Dawson makes her quizzes and tests ridiculously difficult. You feel like you understand the material until you're tested on it. Studying the ASQs helps. The clickers are hard but they're optional, and there's weekly 2+ hr homework. She's a good teacher who cares about giving you a strong foundation in Biology but her class is not an easy one.
Do not take this class if you are just trying to fill a general credit. It would be very hard to keep up and pay attention if you are not genuinely interested in Bio. Renee is a great professor but she is very tough. This class is not one where you can memorize definitions and do fine. You actually need to understand what is being taught.
I think Renee is a great professor. She does all that she can to tell you exactly how to succeed and gives you tools to do so. If your not willing to put in the time and effort to get a good grade you will fail. This class is tough, it takes hard work. Do all the HW and it will help your grade a ton.
Dr. Dawson is very clear and concise about her goals in teaching biology. She doesn't want her students to be good test-takers; what value are good test-takers to the world? This class is difficult because she teaches you to learn in a new way. Dr. Dawson helped me change the very way that I think. I loved this class and came to love biology.
Not an easy class to pass!
Renee is an amazing professor, and her lectures are interesting. She really does want her students to succeed and she provides so many helpful resources. Her class forced me to change the way I study and made me love biology. Her class is hard, but it's possible to do well. You HAVE to be willing to put in a lot of hard work, but you'll learn a lot
You may think you know and understand the topics but you get into her tests and you don't. Her tests are extremely hard and there is nothing you can do about it.
Ridiculously hard tests and quizzes every week. Even if you have done everything there is to do you will still not be full prepared for any of her tests and quizzes. Expect to study allot and then get mediocre grades losing points on minute details that are better suited for cell bio.
Renee's class is very difficult, and she knows it. The mean score on her final was 52 % and she does not curve. However, it is worth noting that she has a few checks to help people who may have received a bad score, but they won't completely save you. Her tests are very tough. I would not take again. She is a nice person though, bad teacher.
Renee is amazing! If you do the ASQ's, you will be prepared for the tests and quizzes. She does everything she can to help students succeed, take advantage of it. Tests aren't easy, but if you do everything she says, you'll do well in the class.
Renee really does want students to succeed but it is a very hard class to pass. Be prepared to study a lot and think you know the material just to get mediocre grades. Study the ASQs and lecture slides and you should do fine! But beware the tests are very hard, the average was a 52% on our final.
She is very upfront about how to get an A. Literally all you need to do is read the chapter, do the ASQ, and do the Mastering Biology homework without googling the answers. If you do those 3 things it should take up about 6 or 7 hours of your week. For exams study quizzes and ASQs. No excuses. Try a CS class if you complain about this.
10/10 hugability 10/10 trickiness She's a great teacher, but the class is hard and it's something you need to be prepared for. Be ready for a lot of homework and a lot of tricky questions.
She teaches everything after the homework is due so is hard to listen to the lectures when you already did the homework.
The first month is a real pain but you get used to it. She really is a great professor and seriously CARES about all her students, she tries her best to give everyone a chance. There are many easy opportunities to maintain your grade, especially if your quizzes are poor or even your exams.
Be prepared to work your butt off, but there is plenty to study from. Do the ASQS, GO TO DISCUSSION, take notes in class and at home (briefly), and rewatch the lecture slides. If you do all this you seriously will pass, but make the effort to UNDERSTAND, not just memorize otherwise you will be doomed. Read and review ahead of time, be smart.
There is no doubt can get an A without studying ASQ and lectures before the quiz. Even though, this class is gen ed. You will suffer the most of the time to understand the concept that what she wants you to know. You have to throw out the most of the information what you learn in high school and ready to take in all the information what she said.
Renee is honestly a really good professor. A lot of comments on here say that she is really hard but honestly if you put in time and actually do the work you will end up with a least an B+. Great lectures, caring and funny. She gives you everything you need to succeed. Go to TA sessions! They basically give you the weekly quizzes.
Super hard class, I would not recommend taking it if your just filling your gen ed credit. Only take it if REQUIRED for your major. Professor Dawson class is super hard. You will need to be putting in 14+ hours a week to get an A. Do the ASQ & go to discussion, they mostly cover everything but Exam/quiz HARD. You will be taking 1 quiz each week
Renee is one of the best professors here. Her class is hard, but she cares that you learn biology and do well, so she tells you exactly what you need to do to pass. ASQs and MasteringBio will help on quizzes, and exams are basically compilations of the quiz Qs just worded differently. Whether you have biology background or not, take this class!
If you don't attend the lectures, you won't pass the class. The quizzes every Thursday are pretty difficult, but she does give you ASQ's which help a LOT if you actually look at them. Overall a very tough class.
Dawson really got me to like biology. The class itself is pretty easy, especially if you remember high school biology. Honestly one of the easiest classes I've taken, but a lot of tedious homework. Do the ASQs, the homework, and discussions and the quizzes and tests will be fine. Also actually try on the clickers and it'll boost your grade.
Her tests are tricky. This makes her make you stray away from memorizing and actually knowing the information no matter what way she asks you. Only take this class if you need this for your major. She provides lots of opportunities to bring your grade up. Study weeks in advance for tests. Do the ASQ's weekly. Go to the TA sessions. Doable class!
Very kind and passionate teacher, in case that is what you are looking for. But she is very tough. I studied and understood her materials very very well for each quiz and exam and did not get what I had wanted. Basically, you need to be the smartest person or you had already taken the class and have the old papers! Don't believe her!!
Absolutely fantastic professor, hard class. She loves what she's teaching and that makes it easier to attend lecture. She has tough quizzes and exams, but she gives you all the resources you need to do well. Read the material before class, ask questions, do the extra questions she gives, and review your old quizzes and you'll be fine.
In the beginning it seems impossible to get an A, but in the end it is fairly easy. There are tons of points not counted till the end. The quizzes are the hardest part of the class in my opinion. The tests are not nearly as hard though, you get tested on basically the same stuff as the quizzes.
She really is a professor that wan't her students to succeed. From the beginning she was dedicated to helping even the difficult students succeed. She is frequently available to help and was reasonable
Renee is a really great professor. Her class is hard, but she tells you on the first day of class that you will have to work for your grade. She does a lot to help you prepare for quizzes and tests. And, there are three extra credit assignments to help you out a little.
Renee is awesome, however, this class is extremely hard (this could be as I work all day and then come to her class in the evening). Her tests are very hard even with studying the material she tells you to. I will be retaking this class at a later date.
Renee is a great professor because she is so passionate about what she teaches. But her class is NOT EASY. She tells you from the first day that you will have to work for it. If you can't commit to studying 6-10 hrs a week DO NOT take this class. But if you do use all the tools provided and take the time to learn the material you should be fine!
Dawson is the best Biology teacher to take 1210 from. She cares about her students and does her best to give you everything you need to do well in her tests and quizzes. Do well on your weekly quizzes, study hard for tests(3 including final), do clickers and her online homework they will bump your grade up extremely. She also has extra credit! (:
Junior in college, honestly my least favorite class ever. I dread coming to this garbage class, the grading scale is fair but the quizzes are harder than you expect, unless you have taken biology before or have zero life, expect to study the majority of your time. My major is biology, after her class I considered changing my major.
She truly cares about her students, and she even warned everyone in the very beginning that this class was not going to be easy, but she gives you the resources you need to success. However, this class was difficult for an intro class. Especially for a student who hasn't taken a bio. class in a very long time. Take this class if you have time.
Renee is an amazing professor that is very passionate and knows her stuff. There is a quiz every Thursday and homework due every Sunday. The quizzes are tricky if you don't go over the ASQ's and look back through the powerpoints. Overall, I would definitely recommend Renee if you are looking for a great foundation in biology!
Renee is awesome! Retook this class for a better grade and learned more then I did the first time. Weekly quizzes and assignments, 2 exams and a final comprehensive. She takes participation points with clickers so go to class. 4 review articles to write, not to hard. Go to class, study the ASQ and get a study group and you'll be guaranteed an A.
Renee is an amazing professor who is very passionate about what she is teaching. Her class is difficult, but in a good way. She wants you to actually learn the material, and if you do the work, you will definitely learn it and get a good grade.
Renee appears to be a nice person, and I can only gather this personality quality is the reason for so many rave reviews here. She seems to think that it is her responsibility to re-invent the wheel. Course objectives are clear, but they require having a sophisticated level of understanding that many would agree is unreasonable for a freshman.
People deem her tricky. She is simply making sure you understand the material. What good is knowing the material if it is described to you one way? Critical thinking is a useful skill that she practices. The book is required as additional reading. You can do well in the class without it, but you won't get an A if you don't read additional info.
I took Renee two times. I first time I got a C+. The second time I took the course I got a B+. The difference the second time is that I utilized the resources that Renee sets out to help her students. She wants you to deeply understand the subject so you can use it later on. She teaches beyond just Biology and helps to make you a better student.
Dawson's idea of thoroughly understanding biology is that of a facade at best. The A students in the class just memorized her past quizzes, past exams, and ASQs because questions were almost identical. You can learn the concepts as well as possible, but if you don't kowtow to and conform to her linear way of thinking, you won't succeed.
Dawson is super passionate about what she does, I'll give her that. I did learn a lot in her class. But her test and her grading is hard AF! Her test are super hard and she tries to trick you on them. I like to be tested on what I was taught and how I was taught. Her tests are what killed my grade. Would not take her class again due to tests.
Would not recommend.
Oh boy your signing yourself up for something else. Be careful
Typical Biology Class. Do the assigned study questions and understand the answers and you'll be fine on the tests and quizzes. Also the TA led review sessions can be really useful for getting another perspective on the content.
Love Renee! Do ALL extra credit, ASQs, go to lecture everyday and try to get trevin for discussion... fun and interesting class.
The way her class schedule is set up screws with you, she has you do an online lab on the chapter a week before we start learning about it, then when it's time to take that quiz we are in the middle of learning the next chapter. She also gives very long articles that are only worth 5 points.
WATCH OUT! Even though I studied like crazy, I still struggled in her class. She lectures on one thing in class and tests you on the complete opposite, she tries to trick you big time. Quizzes are once a week, class average is USUALLY around 3-4/10. She "helps" explain but in person she is very demeaning and expects you to know everything already
Renee is an amazing person and professor. Pay attention in class, do the Assigned Study Questions (ASQs) that are available. I saw a major increase in my grade by reading the book, actually trying on the assignments, and doing the ASQs! Shes tough, but she wants the best.
She is very clear on what is to be expected on the exams and quizzes, plus offers 15 points extra credit. I have not touched the textbook once and I still have a high A at the moment. All you have to do is complete the ASQs and go over the red words and phrases on the slides before the quizzes and exams and you'll get an A. Discussions also help.
Absolutely terrible. The TAs rushed through grading and made a lot of mistakes. The quizzes and exams have confusing questions that are flipped every way to confuse you. She and the TAs rarely help if you have questions, and are quite demeaning if you don't understand something. Despite going to discussions and doing ASQs I have struggled
Attending every class will only help the most attentive of students as she speeds through her slides and is completely out of order with regards to quizzes, mastering, and lecture. Her tests and quizzes usually do not match with the textbook or slides and your only hope is to do the Assigned Study Questions and hope you understand everything!
very good. A bit confusing sometimes, but very good over all.
The class is moderately difficult, but it's not unreasonable. She lets students know the first day of class she expects 9-12 hours of studying and homework a week. Her Assigned Study Questions well prepare you for tests and quizzes. She's tricky because she flips questions. But you'll demonstrate an understanding of material, not just memorization.
Expectations for this class were laid out clearly on the first day and if you followed them, you did well. I strongly recommend going to discussions and doing the ASQ's. I went to 4 discussions, one every day before class and it set me up for success. Renee is a great professor, she's very passionate about biology and cares about student success.
She pretty much tells you what you need to do to get a decent grade in the class but she's not kidding when she says it's going to be over 10 hours of work a week. It's a crazy load of work to deal with for one class.
Renee's class will make you work for a good grade. Her TA's are extremely difficult graders. Make sure you double check all your quizzes and tests for grading mistakes because those are very prominent. Do the extra-credit even if you don't think you'll need it. If you ever need anything go to her office hours, she is surprisingly understanding.
If you're debating about going into Pre-Med, this is a great class. I admittedly did quite well bc I had AP Bio before this, but it was a really good indicator for me. I am not planning on going into Bio, but Renee was clear about what she expected and you knew how to get an A. Go to the study sessions and DO THE ASQS!!!
I didn't open the book until the week before the final. I think I would have done so much better if I read the book and attended the TA session's. I did the ASQ's and they were a LIFE SAVER. Don't procrastinate this class! I learned more about biology than I ever have before. Test's are carefully worded to weed out memorizers of old questions.
Renee gives you all the tools that you need to succeed. Studying all the ASQs will allow you to get pretty easy As on the quizzes and exams. If you are having hard time with concepts, the TA reviews will help you understand all the info you need to know. As long as you actually try and put in just a little bit of time studying, it's a fairly easy A
Overall, a solid intro course, but be prepared to utilize resources outside class (Tutors).Keep in mind that the advice and tips she gives are very relevant to this course (do ASQ's) And take solid notes from lecture because it may not be covered in the book but will appear on a test. This class TAKES TIME so be patient with mastering content.
Renee is an awful professor. She cares more about trickery and deceiving her students on tests than their learning and wellbeing. I spent more time studying how to maneuver her tricks than actually learning genetics. All in all Renee is an awful teacher who doesn't seem to care much about her students or their learning. NEVER TAKE A CLASS FROM HER
Great professor, experienced, cares a lot about teaching, excited to help if you want to learn.
Absolutely the worst class Ive ever taken. Spent many hours weekly on homework had little to do with quizzes and tests. She makes up her own content rather than using the text book material. She tries to make quizzes and tests as hard as possible so that the class can average about 60% on everything. Limited office hours for help. Terrible!!!
Study well, not just long. Renee gives everything that will be tested so know concepts and know what the information really means, not just what it looks like. Do the ASQs. Spend time on doing them, not just memorizing the key. If you go to class and stay caught up on concepts you will be fine.
Test were hard but totally doable if you look over old quizzes. TA review sessions were a huge help. Didn't really use the textbook much. None of the material was too difficult with adequate studying time. I would gladly take this class again.
I was initially a little wary of this class because of the reviews on here, but I am glad I took it. Renee is a great professor and gives you all the resources you need to get a good grade in her class. She wants you to understand the material rather than memorize (that is why some people find it tricky). Do the ASQs and go to discussions!
This professor is amazing. Many people think the this class is very hard but she just wants you to learn and to understand. She is very caring and makes you work for your grade. Honestly, go to the lectures, participate with use of clickers, take notes, do homework, and most importantly do the ASQ's (assigned study questions). She's awesome!
My experience was positive. Renee tells the class exactly what she expects and how to be successful in the class. My advice to anyone taking this class in the future would be to do the ASQs! I would also recommend going to TA discussions, without help it is hard to be successful.
Very good teacher. She was very accessible, taught well, fair grader
Very disappointed.
Renee is not a bad person. She is funny, and likes to engage her students. I don't feel like her way of teaching is suited for everyone, however. For myself, it took me some time to understand how to prepare effectively for her tests and quizzes because she flipped questions to a degree that didn't even make sense anymore for me.
Expects a lot out of you. Great professor if you actually want to remember what you learned. Very transparent about what will be on quizzes and tests. Practice tests help a lot to prepare you for the exams.
I thought my biology teacher in high school was bad, but then I had Renee Dawson. She can be funny in class, but for the most part her teaching style was not good for anyone who wasn't as familiar with biology. I had two college biology courses prior to this class and I still didn't do as well as I wanted, because she somehow made it more confusing
Great professor! BIO1210 can be challenging for some students but professor Dawson gives you all the tools you need to succeed and get a good grade. Tests can hard if you don't have time to study, but Dawson gives out lots of practice problems that look exactly like what will be on her tests.
I took BIOL 1210 from Dawson, but in all honesty, it was probably the hardest class I have ever taken. I would sit through her 2-hour lectures and once I left lecture I felt like I didn't retain any information. Quizzes and exams are very difficult & she is a very hard grader. I would recommend taking BIOL 1210 from either Vickers or Dr. Horner
Disclaimer: I'm not a bad student. I get A's. Don't think dumb, unmotivated students are writing bad reviews. This class is HARD. Here's the deal. Take this class if you're going pre-med--if not, look elsewhere. I thought I could do this class, but no. Just no. Dawson was really awesome, funny, and likeable though!! This class is just really tough
SHOW UP TO CLASS AND DO ASQs! Doing those two things along with the assignments should allow you to pass, but to get a good grade she really makes you work for it.
She tries to trick you during tests and quizzes. I didn't believe it to start but she really does. She'll have you constantly doing homework, quizzes, and tests that isn't clear on. She is super confusing on her wording of questions and has said "I throw in distractions intentionally" and acts like she's teaching people through failure. DONT TAKE!
She is a great teacher! I learned a lot and it was not too hard. You have to do the ASQ's and to discussion to be successful though. Overall, great class.
Professor Dawson seems like an alright person but I do not like her teaching style. She goes into a lot of tangents but doesn't adjust her schedule after wasting an entire hour. Just study your quizzes and ASQs and you'll be fine. She doesn't really answer emails so I'd suggest showing up to the TA's study sessions any time you have questions.
Alright teacher.. lots of projects and assignments. Often go off topic and takes ages with one topic so be prepared to be behind schedule.
This class is by no means a walk in the park, but she does give you everything you need to pass the class. There's even points/objects that she highlights and says "this will be on the exam." Attendance isn't mandatory but she offers some extra points (I believe) for clicker questions, and helps with practice questions.
Renee's class isn't hard because of the subject matter, but rather because of her. She goes out of her way to try and trick you on exams, so if you're going fast or don't triple check your work you'll get it wrong. She wasted a lot of lecture time talking how she thinks you should study instead of just teaching. If you're in her class do the ASQ's.
Do the ASQs if you want to succeed. If you just want to take Bio 1210 to get a grade don't take it from her. If you want to gain a good understanding of the basics of Biology she is a good choice. If you don't work hard you will not do well.
This class is extremely rough and will weed you out of Biology if you aren't extremely determined and engaged. Don't take this unless you're serious about a Biology field. It will likely determine if you want to stick with it or not.
Biology is simply a difficult subject, so actually learning the material takes work. Renee understands that, so she has a system of required reading and weekly quizzes set up to prepare you for the exams. I would describe her class as challenging but fair. Renee herself is a lovely person who is down-to-earth and has good lectures. Do the ASQ's!
The "trick" questions require you to apply the information in a new way, and they're usually reasonable if you know the material well. Some of her questions were vague, but she's willing to fix things if she makes a mistake. I found redoing the ASQ's and drawing out diagrams multiple times to be helpful. It's a manageable class if you study often.
Renee expects a lot from you, and you really have to understand the material to do well. Straight memorization will not get you an A in this class. Exams are really difficult, and I'd recommend you do the ASQs too! She also had a good balance of lecture vs clickers compared to the Chem department (which has completely gone off the rails with those)
She was good about being available outside of class, but her teaching methods in class weren't always clear.
She wasn't awful. Her teaching style can be charaterized by the words muddy and frustrated. You will need to rely heavlily on out side materials to understand what she wants you to understand. Despite the fact that I don't think she is a great teacher she does try and does seem to care. Hardest part: her test questions are very vauge.
I took the intro class after taking AP and honors biology in high school. I understood the material going in, but not coming out. The test questions are extremely vague. She asks for one thing but the expected answer is something else. I believe the class needs to be restructured, Renee is very nice and cares a lot as a professor, but this was bad
Renee is the best human! If you actually attend class you will have a much better understanding of the material. Doing the ASQ's and understanding the quizzes is how to do well in the class. There are also so many discussions available to help out. Renee is one of the most caring professors I have had and I would definitely take her class again.
I loved her! The class can be difficult at times but I simply think its because she expects you to study, and as long as you do and know the material well you will be fine. She is willing to do anything she can to help, and its clear she just wants to make sure you actually learn the material. Awesome teacher, super caring, and I learned a lot!
I just finished my spring semester with, Professor Dawson. I found the class to be extremely interesting and engaging. I believe she does a fantastic idea to appealing to all learning styles, and always connects biological concepts with real world application. I felt it made understanding and learning a lot more enjoyable and entertaining.
I love Dr. Dawson. She is an extremely supportive professor. I definitely recommend meeting with her if anything is unclear because she is excellent at explaining topics in a variety of ways.
She is a nice teacher, but this was the hardest class I have taken. In class clickers for points so you cannot miss. The tests are crazy hard even if you know the material. She goes through the slides so fast, I learn more from a 10 minute video than in her whole lecture.
Prof Dawson is clearly passionate about Biology. However, passion does not necessarily make for a capable teacher. This class is unnecessarily difficult and attempts to cram in way more information than time allows. This class has more unhelpful busywork than any other class I have taken. There are almost no test prep materials. You are warned.
Dr. Dawson is an amazing person, but the class is very work-intensive. She teaches very well, but has large classes in lower sections and thus cannot give every student attention, no matter how hard she tries.
THIS CLASS IS HARD. IF YOU EXPECT TO GET AN A WITHOUT WORKING FOR IT, YOU ARE KIDDING YOURSELF. Renee is a caring professor but can go off tangents. Textbooks readings (they go way too deep/specific) dont reflect whats on exams. Exams are hard but if you truly study and do the dtl( easy points) and pre/post class, you will do fine.
Professor Dawson is an Amazing professor at the U, a very work-intensive class with a lot of information. But if you know your material that is given in the lectures and on worksheets the tests will come relatively easy. People who are complaining about the class did not try or did not ask for help.
She is very knowledgeable and amazing professor. Gives you clear depiction of where you stand and how hard you need to work. She believes in motivating students and she is so energetic that you would never sleep in her class. Amazing lectures and PowerPoint presentations helps you understand the content. I would strongly recommend her.
Dr. Dawson is the best professor I've had at the U. She really cares about all of her students and wants them to do well! This class is pretty difficult, but if you take detailed notes, attend class, and go to discussion, you will do well. I can't emphasize how important it is to go to discussion- I promise that it will help!
Biology 1610 was co-taught by Renee Dawson and David Blair. The first classes will be a breeze if you have taken chemistry before. MAKE sure you know deadlines. She mentioned deadlines would be consistent at the beginning of the semester but they kept changing, and I lost many points because of this. Other than that, caring professor!
Professor Dawson is the best professor i've had at the U so far. Her lectures were extremely well taught, and in addition to her teaching the T.A's and L.A's in this class were fantastic. It isn't an easy A but if you go to class and pay attention and GO TO T.A SESSIONS you will be fine! She made bio doable and really cares about her students!
This class has a TON of assignments. The TAs and LAs are super helpful. I would not have been able to do well in this class without them. Dawson is a nice professor with solid lectures but some of them are a little dull. Review your assignments before your tests and quizzes and you should be golden.
Yes, you will learn in this class. The exams, however, make it difficult to prove your knowledge in Biology as they include many abstract questions that are vaguely related to the concepts learned in class. The only way to do well on exams is to have had prior knowledge in Biology and study the concepts covered well.
Goes slower to help understand concepts, but still had to go to TAs, LAs and class slides for lots of help. Little assignments add up and tests are a large part of your grade. Test questions are difficult and will test you on seriously every little thing. Study a lot, come to class and participate and hopefully youll do better than me
Awful instructor overall. She goes on tangents constantly. She is also relentless in her talking. If you can't maintain 80+ WPM typing notes out for the entire class period, you will not get everything you need. She contradicts what she said 5 minutes ago in every lecture. Managed to make me rethink my declared major in my 1st related class.
This teacher is rough. I dont think she knows whats shes talking about. Teaches stuff completely unrelated to test. Goes crazy on tangents. Unprepared for every lecture. Falls crazy behind on her own schedule. Cant teach. Not a good professor. Stay away at all costs.
Test are hard and she gives you little help on the class. I havent met a single person in the class passing and we have a class of 250 people.
I regret taking this class. I haven't met one person who is passing the class. She gets so behind and has no idea what she is talking about. Do not take this class with Renee.
Renee is amazing!! She truly cares about us and our learning. I may have gotten a lower grade but it isn't due to Renee. It is just a hard and time consuming class overall! But Renee and ALL of her TA/LA's were amazing and so helpful and dedicated to helping us learn even with everything occurring right now! UTILIZE THE TA'S :)
Honestly, as a teacher she is a good person. As a prof, she is not the best. Maybe it's due to COVID, her teaching on Zoom is not the best. She goes off topic most of the time and does not go over what is on the test/quizzes. Her test questions is vague and doesn't show what you actually know. TA/LA's some of them are confused and is not helpful.
She doesn't teach the material well and often will contradict herself. The TAs and LAs don't know what they are doing and will say incorrect information, start discussions way early and will argue over what they are supposed to be doing. The clicker on phone crashes and they don't care. taught half of the students the class over a discord. Not Fun
This is not the class you should take online. Very lecture heavy and her lecture were mostly out topic. Test are really VAGUE. TA/LA always fighting and are confused with their answer. I just want the U to have a good biology teacher is that too hard to ask for?
Her test are vague and she's not a good prof overall
This class just really did not fit an online format, the lectures were always long and tiring. The professor was lost half of the time and the class just was not that easy to follow.
Teacher gives many assignments per each class (pre, class, post). Many assignments not graded by the time you take the quiz /test so you have no clue what is correct. Tests are tricky. Worst teach to take for online/hybrid; no feedback. TAs are a joke and do not teach or really help. Best advice is get a tutor right away. Avoid Dawson if you can!
Teacher is a decent person, but a terrible for teaching online/hybrid due to COVID; too much material too fast with ZERO feedback (it is Dec and I have Oct assignments ungraded, and it is 2 tests later). This class sucks being taught online! TAs are confused & don't know the material. If you can take this class as Pass/Fail. I am disappointed.
Avoid this class at all cost if it is online or hybrid. DAWSON and material are not suited for online instruction. If you need Biol1610 take it at SLCC. If you need a science credit avoid this class. If you want stress, a class with zero feedback on assignments, lots of busy work, and a GPA reducer then this is the class for you. Test are tricky.
Do NOT take this class if it is online. You will not learn anything. The majority of the homework is completion points so finding out if your answers are correct is not going to happen. Her tests are NOT representative of what is "taught" (she doesn't really teach much) and getting help from TAs or LAs is useless because they don't know the answers
Dr. Dawson is a caring and kind woman, who genuinely does care if you succeed in her class. I promise that if you put the time and effort into this class there is no way you won't do well. Make sure to actually do pre-class readings, go to TA hours and stay after on zoom to ask questions and you'll do great !
I'm not sure if it was because this course was taught online this semester that there was such a large discrepancy between what was taught in lectures and what was on the exams/quizzes, but almost nothing from her lectures helped on the tests. No matter how I studied, I never felt prepared. She is very nice, however, but that doesn't help on tests.
Dr. Dawson did not teach well online. She did not keep up with the schedule on the syllabus and lectures always jumped around and didn't make much sense. The TA and LA's didn't know the material, they would give different answers to student questions during study halls and discussion. Exams were very difficult and did not reflect what was taught.
Dr. Dawson is clearly passionate and holds many success. However, she showed no remorse or care to her students' success in her class. On most exams, the class mean score was a D or less. She could not pace the class, resulting in exclusion of a full module. Take this class if you want to feel frustrated, confused, and stressed during your semester
Class and teacher do not work well for online format. It is 3 days after the final and I still have homework upgraded from 2 months ago, how can you study? TAs are a waste of time and dont help with homework or studying -- my guess is they are disconnected from the teacher. I would not take this class online as content is hard.
Simple advice -- avoid Dawson for BIOL1610. Hard class, bad for online format, no feedback on homework, exams don't really reflect lecture/homework, exam/quiz questions come from a test bank & worded to trick you, questions can have you select up to 10 correct answers, all the above, non-above (makes SAT/ACT questions look easy), & bad TAs.
Dawson is passionate about bio. However, she isn't the best teacher. LAs/TAs would explain concepts clearer, but they would often contradict both each other and Dawson. Hw and in class assignments were graded for completion, so you had no clue how you were doing until the tests. Her tests were hard and the content did not reflect what was taught.
One of the worst teachers ever. Brags about making unreasonably confusing tests. Gets off on students struggles. You can master the material and still fail due to the purposefully confusing tests. Cheat. She doesnt care. Youll get away with it. There will be students who get As and act as her spokespeople. Ignore them. Plz retire
While the class is difficult, Professor Dawson is amazing. Many people were frustrated with her this semester, but I loved her. If you were willing to put in an effort, you would do fine. Most people that were complaining weren't communicating with her and weren't putting in as much effort as is needed. She is super kind and genuinely cares.
This class was a synchronous zoom class and all of it was lecture. Sometimes the lectures would be long and boring and it can be hard to stay motivated with it being online right now. Definitely show up to class or it will be harder to understand. Homework is the majority of the grade, but STUDY for quizzes and tests.
Intro to Biology is an extremely challenging class regardless of the professor. Renee Dawson is amazing. She is an expert in her field and she is passionate. This class is difficult, but not because of her. It took me 6-8 hours of weekly studying for this class. My advice: Show up, read the textbook, and study the slides and clicker questions!!
I just had a panic attack, this class is unfair in that its grades are heavily reliant on the exams which make up for almost if not exactly 50% of your grade. If you get less than a 70% on a test might as well just drop out of school and take the class with another professor in person, at another school, etc.
shes the worst
Our assigned readings, assignments and Draw To Learns do not reflect the exam material. This is solely a weed out class to find "the elect" biology pros. As a mandatory general ed class, this course is terribly taught. This course fails 8% more students than any Biology course, 22% less students gets A's and 17% less students get B's. Prep to cry
I'm convinced that people complaining about this course just expected to half-ass it and pass. She provides an exorbitance of class resources (textbook, post-class assignments, TA hours) and it's very much up to you to take advantage of them until you understand the concepts. If you only do required work (the bare minimum), you probably won't pass.
Lots of assignments but they do directly correlate to the lectures and help you gain a more concrete understanding and remember the material. This is not a weed-out class, Renee cares for her students and is a great professor. Do the work and you will pass just fine. Highly recommend study halls and reviews to know what you need to know for exams.
I want to point out that all the reviews from Dec 2020 were my peers who took the class together and messed around in a separate discord server distracting each other and other students (and the instructor) in the zoom chat during class. No wonder they are bitter. The key is to actually study and use class resources. Who would have thought?
Renee is a kind person. That being said, there are a lot of issues with how this class is set up. She does not show the correct answers for assignments or quizzes/exams and there is no feedback provided. She will continue to tell us to go to TA office hours and discussion, neither of which are long enough to ask questions. This is a hard class.
All homework assignments were participation based and made up about 50% of your grade, which was nice. Renee is a fine teacher and obviously loves what she does but isn't particularly great. The tests were harder than they needed to be. Biol 1610 is just a hard class in general so if you don't have to take it, please don't.
Renee seems like a nice enough person, but shes a pretty awful professor. Her exams dont reflect course content in the slightest and class average was typically below 65%. Even with an average that bad, she refuses to curve and blames students even though her exam averages have been consistently low for years. Do not take this course with Renee.
Worst professor at the U. Texts do not reflect anything and are purposely difficult. Super test heavy, so if you do poorly on the first test, your final grade will either be C or low B; not to mention the professor does NOT curve grades even though our class average was around 40%. TA's and LA's were all over the place and unorganized.
Hardest class i've ever taken. Dawson does not teach well at all, and relies on outside textbook reading and outside work in order to succeed in this class. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS, save yourself time and pick a different professor. Exams were stupid hard and she gives little to no extra credit and does not curve exams.
Dr. Dawson is a really caring professor. Yes, her class is hard. I aced AP Biology in high school and still had my fair share of struggles. Trying hard goes a long way in this class! :) Renee has an abundance of resources and tips to get you through. Try hard and you WILL succeed!
You'd be better off skipping class and reading the book but attendance is mandatory. I'd highly recommend taking chemistry before this class because it's not explained well. Plan on doing lots of work throughout the week and on the weekend. The class bleeds into everyday because of a mountain of Canvas assignments about topics you haven't discussed
THE WORST TEACHER AND CLASS She was the only teacher available for BIOL 1610 so I got stuck with her. The work load is crazy heavy and I never know what she's teaching. She rarely answers questions and leaves them for the clueless TA's to answer. She doesn't grade on a curve, no extra credit, and attendance is mandatory. 100% chance you will cry :)
Renee is a top notch professor! She genuinely cares about what she is teaching and cares about her students. This class really isn't too hard if you pay attention in lecture and go to discussion and/or study halls. Renee is so nice and she is super understanding and she always has great TAs that are really willing to help, reviews saved my grade!
This professor claims she doesnt ask trick questions, but the majority of her questions are tricks. You can do all of your homework and quizzes and get 100s but I promise you will fail the tests. Theyre unnecessarily hard, I dont recommend this bs class.
No one has ever made me want to swan-dive off the Legacy Bridge more. She sets you up to fail & purposely tries to confuse you. People have switched their careers over this class. I've learned these concepts in more detail in AP Bio, but she makes it so confusing. She's very unorganized & unnecessarily difficult. DON'T TAKE W HER IF YOU CAN HELP IT
While Renee is a nice person, she is a terrible lecturer and doing it over Zoom made it worse. She gets through barely any information but expects you to be able to apply the very base level knowledge to high level questions. She doesnt take feedback on her teaching style, even tho it barely works for anyone. Assignments all feel like busy work.
I've never felt so stupid in a class before. Exams and quizzes are way too hard. If you fail one, your grade is shot for the semester. Way too many assignments each week and lectures were confusing. I should've kept a tally of how many times this class made me cry. That's how bad it was. I wish I dropped it when I had the chance
Professor makes zero sense when explaining the material. You'd be better off not going to class and just reading the textbook if you didn't lose almost 150 points for attendance. The TA's are the only people I could learn the material from. Kudos to them.
If you can, do not take her class, I have never felt so much like a failure. I can literally go into a quiz feeling relatively confident about the material and still end up failing. You have to REALLY know the material to get through her trick questions. Her lectures aren't very helpful and I've learned more from the TA's.
Renee means so well but the way she runs her class is so chaotic that you lose sight of what's actually important. I took AP Biology in high school and did really well but scored a 70% on the final. She has tons of assignments and challenging post-class quizzes that won't tell you which questions you missed so it's hard to learn from.
DO NOT TAKE THIS TEACHER. I was a 4.0 student until this class. I even almost finished with an A until the final sucker punched me in the face. I study so hard for this class just to get hit with tests that barely reflect what you learn. Renee is also a crappy teacher, she cant teach. She is the reason I am antidepressants .
For an intro class, this course is incredibly demanding. 2 classes a week ends up with 6 assignments to go along with them. You absolutely need to read the textbook since sometimes the quiz goes beyond what is taught in lecture. If you can get out of this class, do it. But if you can't, just know it will be a lot of work, but it's doable.
This class is by far the most discouraging thing I have ever taken grade only goes down even if you get 100% on quizzes/test. Test and quizzes are hard and unfair. Extra credit boosted my grade by a total of 1%. If you do not own an ipad do not take this class till you do or you will hate yourself. 2nd hardest class I have taken & I'm in my 3rd yr.
I would give a zero but thats not a option. She wasnt clear on anything, her teaching style was terrible, wasnt clear on grades especially
Renees a very poor teacher with incredibly difficult tests and quizzes. Shes nice, but disconnected from reality and isnt accommodating or receptive to feedback. The TA review sessions before the tests were infinitely more comprehensible and helpful than she ever was. May God help you if you have her.
This teacher was awful. She was rude when I tried to ask for help and already expected you to know what she was teaching. The tests were even harder because even if you studied for hours you would still fail. You would fail because she would word the questions so badly. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS.
Dr. Dawson is a nice person and was very generous with dropping assignments by the end of the semester. However, she taught biology in a very elementary manner. My AP Biology notes from three years ago singlehandedly carried my grade this semester. Her tests were much harder than the lectures or practice questions.
Often, the assigned reading went into much further detail than was needed and it was very frustrating to figure out what you really need to know. Quizzes and tests are much harder than coursework so be sure to turn in everything to build up as many points as you can. Get close with the TAs-they are more helpful and clear than Renee.
Lectures are often extremely long and we would often go off on material we didn't even need to know. Quizzes and tests were very difficult...
Dont listen to all the bad reviews of Prof. Dawson. She is so sweet and genuinely wants you to learn and succeed. The class is hard because they cover hard material. If you put in the work and take great notes you will be fine. You HAVE to study and review and do the Pre-class readings. This was the hardest class ive taken but its fine w effort.
Bio 1610 is a difficult class and having Renee as a professor made it even worse. She only reads slides and do clicker questions. She yells at the whole lecture of 250 for getting the answers wrong when it is clearly her fault we don't get it. The course covers difficult material and the exams are a nightmare. The TA's are your only hope.
She definitely isn't the best professor. She often times would get frustrated teaching over zoom and would complain about making the class more accessible for those with disabilities (i.e. refusing to use things even like 'live transcription' features while lecturing over zoom, because it bothered her to have to 'see the words while talking'.)
DO NOT EVER take a class with Renee Dawson. I have taken a lot of biology classes in high school and college, but everything she lectured about made no sense. Everyone averaged like 60% on all of her quizzes and tests. If I hadn't taken AP biology before, I wouldn't have ended with an A-. Literally, take anyone else over her.
Professor Dawson makes this class needlessly hard. Especially for freshman students. This is an introductory biology class. Going to lectures, reading and studying arent enough. The test reviews are inaccessible. They are unnecessarily difficult on grading.
I am a third year student but this class was by far the most ridiculous waste of my time. I'm sure Renee means well but she has such an atrocious teaching style. I would not pass if it were not for the TAs. The lectures are incomprehensible with her rambling. There are far too many assignments that feel like busy work. Renee lives in a fantasy.
Professor Dawson is great! She tries really hard in her lectures to be engaging (for her this means using "cute" pictures and gifs). This class was online with a lot of students, if she noticed students weren't understanding material through chat or questions, she would always continue to address it until at least 75% of the 200 students understood
Very difficult course and she also rambles about things that are off subject. She always goes into a concept and then stops and says we will talk about it another time and then never talk about it again.
Renee, above all, makes learning hard. Renee will not work with students but works against them. She spends all of lecture not teaching but throwing questions that she hasn't even taught at students. Renee refuses to give you feedback of any kind that could help prepare you for the exams. She doesn't care about students. Don't take her class.
>gets poor rate my professor reviews. >all of them state how she rambles incoherently and assigns too much homework >continue to do so >complain about unfair rate my professor reviews Truly an insolvable puzzle.
Why is she giving us a quiz that is 21 questions and only 5 points ?
Renee has ruined my academic career and my life. I hate biology now.
This class was honestly a joke. The exams and quizzes don't have much to do with her lectures or the homework. They are extremely difficult. I did not learn anything from her. She doesn't even answer your questions. Luckily, the TAs and tutors for this class are very helpful, I recommend meeting with them.
I read the reviews before joining and was very scared... her tests were very difficult, but not impossible. She does offer extra credit which is nice. Clickers are important and are graded, same with discussion. She is a very kind professor for what it's worth.. just terrible tests and not the greatest teacher. Overall, it is doable, just not fun.
Honestly, the class was kind of confusing, however, Renee is a very kind professor. She is strict on turning things in on time, but really there isn't that much homework. Usually a short post class quiz (which you can retake), a worksheet from discussion, and a short pre class quiz that isnt worth much. Her tests are super hard but they are doable
Take BIOL 1610 elsewhere. Much of the material covered in lecture and in assignments/quizzes were briefly in the final exam. They barely were related to one another. Considering this is an entry level course, the demand of work and expectation towards this course is overwhelming. She is very nice but the teaching style of the course is incoherent.
Absolutely do not take her class. The worst professor I have ever had. Test material was absolutely unrelated to any of the material covered in class. Did not teach at all, the only helpful people were her TAs. Did not respond whatsoever to negative feedback and instead said that her class (with majority failing) wasnt trying hard enough.
I took this course on zoom and I found myself not learning much material; she may be a nice person but it doesn't get transmitted online. I would take this course in person. overall I hated attending this class with a passion.
The exams have nothing to do with the study material and she ignores concerns. She often messes up in lectures and never corrects herself leaving students clueless. She also teaches things and tells us that we don't need to know them instead of focusing on what we do need to know.
Professor Dawson sucks butt.
this was a tough class to take, and Her teaching skills only works for a finite group of students.
Professor Dawson is very fast paced and gets sidetracked easily. There is a heavy workload and exams are heavy weighted when it comes to overall grades. This professor does not clarify topics as well as she could, and is overall difficult to get in touch with.
Renee sucks, whenever she teaches in class the material isn't clear and she makes easy concepts very difficult by weirdly wording the questions on the exams. The material she teaches in class is also not very similar to what is tested on. If you take this class you'll have to rely on the TAs and teaching yourself from the textbook.
Professor is very difficult. A lot of work is involved in this class, a lot of reading. She seems like a kind person but a terrible teacher, the way she teaches is for a finite nitch of students who already understand biology very well. She can make eve the easiest topics difficult to understand a lot of self teaching is involved for a intro class.
Do not take this class unless it is required for your major or you are personally interested in microbiology. Go to the lecture and do the clickers; if you don't, you won't know what's going on and you will fail. Quizzes and tests are extremely challenging and often require countless hours of study and personal research.
Honestly, this class was pretty easy about 80% of the time because of the TA's and the amount of resources professor Dawson provided for us. For the first exam, we had a study guide. For every quiz and exam there was always a practice that was EXTREMELY representative of the real thing. Honestly key to success is study hall & reading the textbook
She is very sweet, it is mandatory to attend this class to pass. Take the time to study and use all the study recourses! This class is tough so be ready from the start, it's easy to fall behind. The tests are graded tough, Take advantage of extra credit if and when available.
She's ok. Not particularly stimulating and semi vague. BIOL1060 will require a lot of studying and homework outside the lectures.
I loved her classes so much, She is my favorite teacher I have had so far and I would take all my biology classes from her if I could. She was very understanding and is clear on her grading and she allows drops and has a lot of opportunities for extra credit.
I took Renee Dawson's Biol 1610 class during fall 2022. She cares for her students and wants us all to succeed. There is a lot of work to be done in the class, but it helps you get a better understanding on the topics you are learning. She also offers extra credit and drops on some assignments. I absolutely loved her class!
Dr. Dawson is okay. I didn't like her use of clickers (one time she did an entire class of clicker questions). The lectures were not very helpful. Be prepared to teach yourself through the book. She did not try to answer students' questions in much depth. I would not recommend.
In class, she'd often go off on tangents about things that we "didn't need to know yet" and breeze over things that would be in quizzes. Many of my classmates were set on a career in nursing - by the end of the semester, they were considering switching majors just because of how awful this class was.
Everyone complains about Professor Dawson but if you apply yourself you will be able to get a good grade. She gives you plenty of resources to succeed in the class.
Overall, her lectures were useless because her teaching method was not good. This course is definitely one where you must put in the time after class. As a teacher who wants to try and let you succeed she isn't bad. She has a lot of resources to try and let you do good in class. If you put in your own time and work you can easily pass this class.
Many people complain about how bad her teaching style is, and I think its mostly just due to the nature of the class. As an intro to bio class, you only learn the base level of things and don't go into depth in anything, that's not her fault. She's not the best professor, but isn't as bad as many people make her out to be. Attendance is required
She tried so hard to be cool but she has super high expectations. She uses clickers and pays close attention to attendance. If you want to get a hold of her, good luck. I could barely even get a hold of the TAs.
*Most* people who didn't like this professor didn't put in the effort. Although she can ramble on the subjects, she gives us the materials needed for the tests. There is a textbook, but reading wasn't necessary unless you need extra help. I recommend going to 1 study group that they provide with the TAs for extra help.
Overall, this class wasn't too bad. Some topics were difficult, and the test were hard, but a big portion of your grade is the homework. As long as you do good on the homework and try your best you can pass this class. Renee is a nice professor and tries her best in lectures, but it can be difficult to understand her explanations sometimes.
Renee is very lecture heavy wouldn't recommend and the discussion classes didn't really help, she doesn't care about your personal life and if something in life does come up it is mandatory to prove it.
Dawson is a kind and caring professor who tries her best to help her students succeed. Although she may not necessarily be the most clear and concise during lectures, as long as you pay attention and spend the extra time to understand the topics covered you will do fine.
The class was ok, she didn't do the best at teacher material she mainly would just read the slides. She's very nice and understanding though. I had something happen and wasn't able to make it to class for 4 weeks so she didn't grade my attendance for not being there. You do have to spend WAY more time outside of class then they say too.
SO much homework. Lectures don't really teach you. You are expected to know everything before coming to lecture. Some small opportunities for extra credit. Exams are strictly in person.
She is not a great lecturer and is slow with grading, however she compensates for it with her leniency to give extra credit and curve everyone's grades. Has a ton of TAs and the discussions are useful. It's a hard class, but doable if you put in the work. Be ready to memorize, because that is what you will be doing 90% of the time.
Renee is an absolutely terrible professor. She seems like a nice person but her teaching skills are laughable. Nothing taught in class makes sense, her tests have little to do with the material covered, and the clicker questions serve to do little other than further confuse students. The TAs and LAs are the only redeemable part of this course.
Not the best lecturer and classes were boring, but it was very easy to get a good grade. Exams were all based off memorization, but really isn't anything hard. Knowing basic chemistry before hand is a huge help, maybe take those classes together if you don't already have a high school chemistry background.
She gets a very bad wrap. 1610 is the introductory course she teaches so everyone that hates biology also hates her, but is actually one of the better professors I've had for biology. She's funny too.
She was a fine lecturer when she actually talked about things that we needed to learn. My biggest problem was that she had a habit of teaching us stuff, then saying that none of that was going to be on the tests because it was just showing us what we were going to learn in cell biology. The TAs were AMAZING though, very helpful. Go to study hall!
This class was fine, boring lectures that were way too long and didn't cover much. Beware of the clickers because they will tank your grade at the end of the semester if you skip even a few. Usually assignments due before, during, and after each class.
Dawson was one of the worst teachers I've had. The average on exams was under 70%, and she said that she was proud of that. She saw no issue that her students were working hard and still not succeeding. It was brutal. It's a very heavy course load and Dawson did little to help. I learned more from LAs/TAs than I did the teacher.
Professor Dawson is so amazing. She is so good at teaching and gives so many resources for the class. Her tests are not bad and she actually listens to student feedback to improve her course.
Lots of assignments each week, but I'd say they're pretty helpful in understanding the material. Dawson is awesome! Her lectures & grading criteria are very clear. TA's were the best & SUPER helpful!! Not an easy A class, but she gives LOTS of resources to help, go to the exam reviews!
Professor Dawson's class was a lecture hall but it was very well done. Lectures were concise and engaging, tests were easy. Overall a really good experience and really easy
Class is hard and she made it harder. Confusing and very boring lecturing. The class is huge so she will point you towards the TA's if you need help. She's not the worst but I would go with someone else if you can.
Dr. Dawson truly cared about the information she was teaching, and she was passionate about it, but the way it was taught was often confusing or ineffective. There were at least 7 assignments due each week, and DO YOUR CLICKERS. TAs were amazing and made confusing information manageable. The final was not an accurate portrayal of the class.
Lectures never fully covered what would be on a quiz/test, so reading the super muddled, confusing, textbook is very important. I like her as a person, but I don't find her teaching to be very effective. Very lecture heavy, and yet the lectures don't fulfill all that is needed to do well in the class.
Mixed reviews on the professor. Personally, I did a good job in the class without reading the textbook. I like that her lectures and discussions used Clicker. The lectures were very long, we didnt finish it most of the time. Also, on the quizzes it was more difficult than the practice questions. lots of extra credit. overall happy with class!
Professor Renee is passionate about the subject and good at it, but not great at teaching it. She 'taught' off the slides and most students learned from TAs. The class average was low but she wouldn't curve tests. There were excessive, time consuming amounts of homework. She was not empathetic and blamed students when they expressed concerns.
Renee is very hit and miss for students. I particularly did like her, i felt like she tried her very best every class to make it as interesting as she could, crack jokes and listen to others. She is a little on the older side and some of the jokes arent super funny but the main thing is she tries. Her lectures do get boring and the exams arent easy
All she does is read off of her PowerPoints and nothing in her lectures are entertaining. There's always at least 5+ assignments due at the end of the week where you're basically just guessing. There's 4 exams and 3 quizzes. There's no study guides to work with and no indication on what you're supposed to know from the material and her ppts.
I love this class. Dr. Dawson really cares about her students and wants us to succeed. There's a lot of pre-quiz/pre-test resources including no-point practice quizzes, TA sessions, and exam reviews. The TA sessions and discussion periods are invaluable. I would absolutely take a class from her again.
Long boring lectures. Pointless clicker questions that are all throughout the lecture and discussion so you have to pay attention. Homework easy and tests not too bad.
Professor Dawson was funny during her lectures that I had while also providing key information. She stays on track and makes sure to provide things that will be on the quizzes and tests. The homework assignments are pretty easy, they just take some time. Overall, she was great and I learned a lot from her.
Renee is a very nice person and cares about her students a lot. The only issue is her lectures are hard to keep up with and understand, and she gives a lot of homework. The TAs are great for this class though and are super useful. A lot of time will be spent reviewing and reteaching yourself material from class.
Renee's lecturing style is very dry and monotone. She only read off from the slides which made things more harder to learn from. This deeply
Lectures can be dry, but the TAs and extra resources like unstuckstudy ai make up for it. Lots of assignments, but manageable if you stay on top of it. Professor cares about the material, just needs to work on delivery.
This woman is truly confusing. She jumps around making it extremely difficult to keep track of what she's teaching. Often times her analogies leave you left even more confused than the lectures themselves. Be prepared to take a ton of notes as to not fall behind. She moves very fast considering her inability to stay on one subject at a time.
Her lectures are not boring by any means, she's good at teaching but sometimes goes on tangents about material that isn't relevant, (but is sometimes interesting) so being an active listener is very useful. On exam weeks she tries to schedule less assignments and pushes back due dates and is pretty laid back over all.
Dr. Dawson is one of the nicest professors I have met who truly cares about her students, however, her teaching is ineffective. Lectures deliver 10 minutes of information in 2-3 hours, the textbook substitutes a mountain of information for simple concepts. Once you learn to identify necessary information from lectures the class is easy.
I have been in classes before with lots of busy work but not like this one. There are what seems like a dozen assignments a week. This makes it so hard to want to or have time to study by the time the assignments are all completed. She also makes the concepts in lecture more confusing than they need to be and you cannot read her handwriting.
Renee is a nice professor, but she is very monotone. She reads off slides and also teaches based on what's not on slides. It makes it difficult to understand. Had too go back and relearn info on my own sometimes, other than that exams were hard, quizzes easy.
The class averages honestly speak for themselves, Renee's average on exams was always around a 60 while other professors had around an 80. In lectures she is monotone, completely strays off topic and none of the lecture material is actually on the exam. The reason I began to do better is because I started teaching myself from the pre class.
Heavy lectures, lots of homework assignments, participation and attendance are mandatory and do affect your grade. Renee does a great job with lectures and tries to make things easier to understand. There is lots of homework. This includes pre-class, post-class, worksheets, and draw to learns. The homework assignments do take lots of time.
Her lectures made no sense and I had to go to the TAs a lot. Sometimes even the TAs would give me contradicting information
So hard to pay any attention to her during her boring lectures that jumped all over the place.
She was a good teacher. Very lecture-heavy but helpful to listen and apply yourself to the readings. The TA's are super useful too so make sure to go to discussions and their office hours.
She is so nice and I loved having her. Wouldn't really take her again because her lecture style is a little too confusing. She rushes through things and doesn't give explanations that make a lot of sense. Very sweet and her TA's are amazing. This class had a lot of homework, but the homework definitely helped with the course content itself.
Busy work!! Lectures are her reading off slides. She lies about the clickers having a location on them; you can do them from your home. Her pre-test resources either contain similar topics/questions to what is seen on the exam/quiz or don't at all. Her test questions are ambiguous. I heard of students dropping their biology degree because of her.
A very hard class, with extremely boring lectures as they are just her reading off of the slides. She also goes extremely fast in class as there is never enough time to cover everything. Has good analogies but also then that just does a lot of talking. Her assignments are hard but they are the only reason that you can learn in her class.
grading was harsh and lectures were heavy
Lectures are long and pretty dull, most of what I learned in the course was from pre-class assignments. A few critiques I have is that she often goes on tangents, has some really random stuff in her lecture slides, and the diagrams she shows are never answered concretely. If you can take the other professor, I'd recommend that.
Not helpful lectures. Very confusing.
Dawson wasn't necessarily bad, the class was terrible though. SO much homework, long boring lectures. Extremely overwhelming.
She is very boring during the lectures however her assignments are mostly straightforward. Attendance is mandatory and as long as you show up, you should be good for the tests. Discussion helps way more than the lecture.
I found Renee to be a decent professor. There is A LOT of homework, but I found it to be pretty helpful in understanding the content. I thought she was able to explain content in a way that we could understand even though she went off on pretty random tangents which would often lead to her running out of time for stuff actually important to know.
Renee was a great lady but the lectures were very fast paced and hard to keep up. It is very easy to fall behind in this class. If you take it with her use the tutoring center, only way to get a good grade. Attendance matters too
Dont take her class its not worth retaking it again
Renee herself is a great person, but the class style sucks. There is a pre class, in class, and post class assignment for each lecture, as well as a discussion paper, quizzes, and more. Way too much homework. If you miss a lecture you WILL be behind. Attendance to lectures is also mandatory.
Renee herself is a great person. She is funny and witty. The class sucks though. There is a pre class, in class, and post class assignment for each lecture, as well as discussion papers, quizzes, and more. Way too much to do. Also lecture attendance is mandatory. and you will be behind if you miss a lecture.
Renee was one of the kindest professors I've ever had. She is always willing to help out if you have questions during or after class. She gave lots of extra credit opportunities and while she assigned a lot of homework it was normally really easy. My only complaint is that she does get a little sidetracked during class but still gives good lectures
I hear a lot of negative things about Renee, but I liked her a lot. This class was a lot of review from high school biology, but I did have to put in a lot of time for the homework. If you do the homework, you'll be fine.
renee is very passionate about biology and very caring for her students. biol 1610 is a great fundamental bio class and is very interesting. renee does a great job at teaching it!
Renee has a very enthusiastic lecturing style, though sometimes it does lead to some tangents during the lectures themselves. There's a lot of homework for this class, but they also are very similar to the content that you get on quizzes and exams. If you're having trouble in class, there's a lot of resources and Renee responds very quickly.
Hw you do translates to success in exams. Attend the lectures, discussion, and do the given work you won't need to study (exc cumulative final) and can get an A. Hw isn't hard, just tedious. Prof is great and easy to follow if done given work before class. LAs are nice. Some LAs don't do their grading in a timely manner. contact them or prof if so.
Renee is a very nice teacher but she doesn't make the material very easy to learn. She has lots of resources with TAs but ways to help better understand her material was very hard to understand or study.
The class mean on the final was a 55% significantly worse than the average in the class taught by the other teacher. There was no curve to account for this. Renee left in some questions which were very unclear and her lectures weren't helpful. I learned all of the content from the textbook.
LISTEN TO THE BAD REVIEWS!!! Avoid this professor at all costs. Take this course with Colby if at all possible. I would not recommend this course to anyone unless you want to hate your life.
In lectures, she treats us like we're little kids. Goes slow on trivial topics so can't finish her slides on time, meaning you're lost on weekly hw assignments (5-10 per week). Teaches in a roundabout way. I learnt more on YouTube than in her lecture halls. Also, you must know her very specific ways of drawing stuff or you will fail tests/hw.
Avoid her. She is the undisputed hardest intro bio professor. Study guides were useless, knowledgeable with subpar lectures. Tons of homework, and her tests were much harder than other bio tests with different teachers. There are better options. If you take her go to office hours and absolutely show up to lectures
Class Info
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86%
Textbook Required
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