3.3
Quality2.4
DifficultyN/A
Would Retake132
ReviewsN/A
Would Retake
132
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
37
4
35
3
28
2
15
1
17
What Students Say
“He curves each test but not the final grade”
BIOL211 - 3.0 rating“Wow, this class was a cake walk”
BIO326 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
0%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.12 avg changeRatings by Course
326
5.0
(1)BIO375
5.0
(1)BIO211326
5.0
(1)BIO
4.5
(2)PLANTSMED
4.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
MICROBIOLOGY
5.0
326
4.0
BIO201A
3.7
BIOL201A
3.5
BIOL211
3.5
Reviews (132)
Excellent prof. Interesting & fun. Makes going to class enjoyable.
instead of buying book, buy aznotes in bookstore
buy lab book only, you will never use text book
Great informative class - very interesting
Very pleasant person, extremely knowledgable, but not as well organized as I'd l
Super cool & nice, hard to take notes cuz he's so unorganized
one of the best classes i've taken
very easy, class attendance unnecessary, don't buy textbook
Great guy, great class. Easy A -don't buy book.
good class notes are very helpful for studying the old exams. All questions are on old exams, just need to find correct answer in notes. Class lecture sometimes disorganized, but lots of good info.
Very easy A or A-. Never went to class just got notes from someone else. Can bring a phat notecard to the test. Interesting. Highly recommened
Easy class...material is interesting, but gets boring as he wonders off into lala land!!!
easy and interesting class. he helps you alot to get a good grade in class. provides previous tests for study guides. very knowledgeable.
great exploration class! easy A, don't buy the book, attendance optional
Do NOT take this class for credit/no credit. It's such an easyyy A or B. I repeat, do NOT take this class for credit/no credit. I did and I totally regret it. I had a B+...
Very good class, learn a lot about life. Make sure you take good notes. Last semester exams on his website are almost identical! Make sure you do them a couple days before test so you can ask questions. Good about responding to emails too.
learned some interesting tips. funny, at times, but boring at others... just study past exams, and you are set.
Want an A for an upper division class? Take this one. Tests are almost exactly the same as previous ones, which is posted online. Everything is from his notes. Learn many interesting useful things not taught a typical class. Very helpful and even funn
Easy class, and the subject is really fun. You learn many interesting things. Just go to class to get the lecture notes, and read over past tests (which contain most of the questions on the tests) and you'll get an A.
Good course. Easy A if you follow along & study or easy B if you just study the online test. The man is funny and he does not take attendance
Sooo easy. I dont think I studied one bit this semester and I got an A-. Does not take attendance however you should go to class for notes because you'll need them for the answers to questions on his old tests when u make your cheat sheet.
A bit of a tweeker but kind of easy. Just go to class and take good notes and you will get an A. There's no real text book so go to class to get a good grade.
Lectures interesting. NO BOOK TO BUY--he'll go off on tangents, w/ no relevance to the tests, BUT, what he tells you is so captivating, so interesting, that you'll want to know anyways = ) attdnce not req, but rec. STUDY off old online tests, word4word!
Honestly you have to work NOT to get a good grade in this class. He basically hands you a freakin A. If you dont take this classs you will regret it.
VERY COOL TEACHER. EASY CLASS.
Study the old exams to know the questions that will be on the test and go to class to hear the answers. Will not give you the answers in office hours, so go to class. Class is interesting at the very least.
Easy class, but boring. There is no real motivation to go to class since the old tests are exactly the same as your exams, but you have to get the answers from class. He was kinda funny, but not really interesting. I went 1/3 of the time and got a B.
Only know the right answers after taking the tests. Then it's too late. Some questions on the old tests seem a freebee, but they're not. I've got A, but I'm aware of all the tricks. Need all his old tests because they're almost the same.
Good bio class. Easy A if you go to class and study. Easy B if u don't go to class, don't buy textbook and just study online tests w/ the right answers from an A student who took the class before. Very good professor.
Excellent professor. Interesting class. Highly recommend. Quite a bit of work to do for this class, but an easy A. The instructor is extremely helpful and very clear about assignments. I really liked that the instructor gave so many different ways of ge
easy didn't really learn much but who cares i ain't a bio major so it was fun...
DO NOT take for 201A.I don't know about 326, but I think this is his 1st sem. teaching this class.Using someone else's powerpoint, focus's on random details in a general bio class, goes off on tangents.We are 5 chapters behind last semester!
This class is terrible. He puts everyone to sleep in lecture. Very dull and boring.Hard to pay attention. He uses someone else's powerpoint and doesn't explain things clearly. He tells us what's going to be on the test and then it's not even on it!!
Very Very nice man. Very concerned about his students, reminds me of the way highschool teachers were. Most professors in college don't take any personal concern for their students, but Professor Bizzoco really cares!!! Easy class if you just go!!
This guy needs to stop teaching Bio201A and stick to his Bio326 class if he wants to keep his rep as an easy teacher. It's his first sem. teaching; he's not very organized and has the audacity to complain that he has no time to do anything. He won't even spend an hour to give out a rescheduled test.
Makes Class interesting!
Awesome
This class is awful! He is a very dull lecturer and goes off on a lot of tangents. He is not clear about what material is truly important to know. Very tough to prepare for exams because he goes over so much random info.
AWFUL!!! Do not take for Bio201a. This is his 1st semester teaching it and it should be his last! He has the nerve to complain that he has no time to prepare his lectures. He's unorganized, goes off on too many tangents, and his tests have nothing to do with the lectures.
keeps lecture semi interesting but repeats lecture a lot and you can afford to skip class. do the online tests and easy A if u want it.
You don't need to go to class to get an A.
He sux, He washes his hands of everyting, he claims he doent have anything to do with grading or how the course is run, yet he is the one teachingthe class.DONT TAKE HIM HE IS AWEFUL
Horrible professor. Made a boring subject even worse then possibly concieved. Very disorganized, didn't get through all the material in the class putting us behind in Bio studies. Don't take him for Bio201a.
very interesting and funny! super easy class, you are allowed a notecard on the test, easy A. He makes biology, and an upper divison GE, entertaining and apply to our own lives. Take him!!!
I totally enjoyed this class. Extremely knowledgeable about his material, and dispite all the faults listed by other students I would glady take another of his classes. Very entertaining. I learned a great deal more than I had hoped to when I signed up for this class.
He is the least organized professor I've ever had!
Really good class. He is cool. 3 exams, no paper.He puts old exams online for us to study.Go to class you will learn a lot of info about medicine and how to take care of yourself. Almost everything taught can be applied to daily life. Great professor! you should take this class for your exploration
Great professor. No one attended lecture since it was at 8am and thus no one did well. He gives every question and/or topic that is covered on each test in lecture, making it very easy. Still, this is one of the hardest bio classes, so studying is still required. Teacher wants students to do well.
no book to buy, have to go to class gives answers to test which are all online same exact questions every semester just memorize answers and you'll do good on the test
Great sense of humor. Just download the old exams online and I'm sure you can find another classmate with the answers. Study those for the exams and finals and I'm sure you'll get a B or better.
HORRIBLE TEACHER!! I attended every lecture, and he was the absolute worst teacher i've had at SDSU. He never gave out grades to the class, blamed all his problems with the department and he is a total moron!! If he teaches 201A again,which probably wont happen, DONT TAKE HIM!
This class was very easy! Great choice for GE! Tests are multiple chioce and he gives you the tests from previous semesters. Go to class and get the answers to the test. The test questions are worded exactly as prior exams and the best part...you can use a 5x8 notecard when taking the exam.
Sometimes you need a class you can kick back and relax in...this is it. You learn alot of cool stuff and remedies to everyday problems. The Pro is free entertainment. Test are easy because they are the same ones exactly worded from previous years. Its a cool GE class.
Worst teacher I've ever had... never gave out grades during the class because he didn't want people whining about it...
Class is way too overcrowded, teacher can't give out grades, extra credit, extra help etc. Lecture was scattered and sometimes unclear. Would be a good class if it was about a third of the size..teacher nice but again..doesn't know his students from the seats they sit in:( grades can suffer
Worst teacher I have ever had. I went to lecture every time and am an honor student, but because his poor articulation of the importance of the material I got a C. Do whatever you can to avoid taking this class with him. Upper division courses may be different.
While somewhat of an improvement over the last time I took this class, he's still a little unclear and unorganized. It would've been better if he actually gave grades beforehand, and didn't teach at such an upper class level.
This guy is a nightmare! He's not even a cell & molecular biologist, so why he's teaching it in the first place is way beyond me. He is extremely unorganized and unclear, and he doesn't even tell you what your grade is until the end of the semester when it's posted online! What's up with that???
by far the worst teacher i have ever had. it would be nice if he had taught us what we needed to know for the tests but he did not get that memo!Grading well thats a joke he dose not even grade any of the test nor does he set the curve what a joke no wonder he is not teaching this class next semeste
he actually told us that he thought GHB was a benign substance. what more can i say? class was way too easy...the tests were literally the same ones he had used the year before...and the year before that..etc.--would be an easy A IF there were SOME challenge, but this didn't even make me want to try
I don't know about Bio201, but in Bio326, we kicked back, hardly worked, and used all of the old tests online. Chillin class, it helps if you tape it and get together with someone to go over old tests. I learned alot about life and just how to be healthier and even how to live longer. Great GE class
He seems to have good intentions, but teaching shouldnt be his job. he constantly disagrees with the lecture slides and always seems to spend a big amount of time going in depth with things that we dont need to know. reading the book was the only thing that got me through the class.
Bizzoco is a nut, but he is pretty awesome. just print out old tests online, and take em to class and listen for him to give the answers. tests are exactly the same as old ones. very easy..
Bizzoco cracks me up...you can tell he loves his plants - probably was a hippie! Tests are easy, lecture is good for learning tips on how to care for yourself with plants.
def. recommend...easy class just study the old test questions because theyre mostly the same ones on the test..and you learn how to keep healthy :)
Dr. Bizzoco is a great professor especially in comparison to previous professors of this course. He is very easy, only multiple choice exams. He does go off on lots of tangents and makes great analogies. He is also super funny w/ a different sort of humor.
One of the easiest classes I've taken at SDSU, but also one of the most interesting. It's funny how he says he knows the secrets of living healthy, b/c he looks like he just crawled out the grave. Definitly a hippie in his day, which explains his interests in medicinal plants. Easy class, exams, & interesting subject. Just go and you'll get an A.
Great teacher! Pretty easy class yet very unformative to some. And GHB *is* a benign substance.. don't be ignorant.. it's has some of the more gentle effects out of any drug you could name. Prof knows what hes talking about.
Bizzoco is a cool guy! The book (Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice) is very interesting and a great read. Tests are easy to study for because he gives you the past ones. Going to class is not necessary...neither is buying the syllabus. Make sure you have someone take notes for you though...tests are based on notes and past exams!
The easiest class ever! I never went to class and pulled an A-. No need to buy the class outline. Make sure you study the old tests because the exact questions are on the exams. You're allowed to use 5x8 note card so there's no reason not to do well on the exams and final. The class was interesting when I did attend, recommend!
great professor. the subject is so interesting and he makes it pretty easy. i deffinitely reccomend as a GE course.
Make sure you take notes so you can get the answers for the past tests. He grades on a curve.
just like othe others said...he's a very easy teacher, just study off of his old exams from previous years. his lectures are fun and you can actually apply it to real life, like how to improve ur health and personal hygeine... i totally recommend this class.
Attendence isn't mandatory but I went almost every day because he always made me laugh. I'm a business major and not interested in science at all but this guy is a nut and the class is a lot of fun. It is really easy to get a B, you really have to go to class and take notes to get an A.
While I will concede the class is not difficult but Dr. Bizzoco is a scatterbrained to say the least. His overheads are outdated and hard to read. He says one thing one day and another the next. The information is interesting but not sure if current. To get a good grade- do the old exams.
Like Everyone else says he is funny. Not an easy "A", but a "B" grade is. Not all questions is from the old test, however the majority of the questions is. He curves his test and no one gotten a lower grade then a "C". I recommend the class if your looking to get a passing grade to fulfil a upper GE course.
For a biology course, this was not too difficult. I got an A-, but never missed a class. you must study the previous exams, you are allowed a huge note card(both sides) on exams which helps a lot. The Book:Tales of a Shamans Apprentice is very interesting and entertaining. He grades on a curve at the end. Highly reccomend
This is the best professor your ever get. He is dedicated to his life in Biology. He is there for his students and wants everyone to pass. He has his past tests available online ECR for the students convinience. And Available in office hours and after class. Take him!! no questions asked :P
Like everyone else said - a B grade is in the bag. An A on the other hand - forget about it! Beware all pre-meds! This class will bring down your science GPA!!! This guy is totally scattered and his notes are from 1980. Really funny hippie and cool old man but a pretty hard class for what it is worth - take something else if you want an A.
You cannot get an A grade because the tests cover his lectures but he doesn't talk about everything in his lectures! he doesn't test from a textbook, only lecture. But he does have a really generous curve though.......i got exam scores of 85, 83, and 72 and I got an A- though.......but it's hard to get an A
A great prof. Lots of info. Get his book and take good notes. Test for this year where hard and he used alot of info. that was spoken in lecture. Study past test to a tee. Many ques. are right from past exams. Put relavent info one your note card that he lets you use in taking exams. Very help full when you meet that person in office. Take his clas
This teacher is very nice and helpful. Definitely cares about his students. Very interesting class. Do the study guides and they will definitely help you on the test. Take notes and try to attend class regularly to get an A. Don't buy the book because his tests are off his lectures.
He is so clear when he is teaching. Almost all of the answers to the test questions are quoted from his lectures so listen anf take good notes. I also practiced the sample exams online. They are very helpful. take him for this class and no one else! =)
Purchase reader only, attend all class meetings and take good notes, no homework, study previous exams posted on-line.
This class was sweet. Bizzoco is a cool teacher. He is kinda wacky, which makes the class fun to go to, just to see what he's gonna do. And the material covered was really interesting. I recommend this class for your upper division GE.
Bought the syllabus, went to almost every class, and STUDIED the past tests, and got an easy A. The professor can get into his molecular structures too often even though they aren't needed for the exam, but he didn't even go over the illegal drugs we were most interested in learning about.
Wow, where do i start with Rick. Well he is extremely entertaining, funny, and doesn't take role which are all positives. He definitely seems like a laid back hippie dude. All in all main thing to do is study past exams to a "t" make sure you understand them and if you dont ask. Dont really need to buy reader, take good notes. easy b curve is cute
This teacher is hilarious and kind of whacky. It makes class very entertaining!!! Great teacher. Take good notes. There is no need for the reader and study the past exams
The total grade consisted of 2 midterms and a final. He puts past exams online. You should go to lecture and write everything he says because it's hard to tell what he expects you to know for an exam. I believe he curves the final grade.
This class is a joke and if you are a science major, don't take it. He wanders in his lectures and talks about complete nonsense. The tests are extremely similar to the ones online, but make sure to take notes b/c he adds in new stuff. Overall I hated this class, but walked away with some helpful knowledge that wasn't worth taking this class.
study past exams. it is hard to tell what will be on exams from his lectures...hard to explain this class...no attendance taken, but i suggest you go to class b/c you never know what new info will be on test. STUDY PAST EXAMS
great guy, loves what he teaches, doesn't use the book, all past exams are on his website and he uses the exact same ones during the year, easy a!
Course Title: Plants in Drugs and Medicine. Instructor: looks like a cross between Einstein and Gallagher. Claims he doesn't smoke weed (you be the judge). Spends an inordinate amount of class time talking about his physique and how he was quite the love maker back in the day (ack). Lectures wander. Entertains stupid questions.
take this course. I literally went to class less than five times (three for tests). get answers for past exams and study them (ever question), i got a c on first one,d on second one, and horribly on the final, but he drops lowest one. and after all that i got an b in the class, who in the world you ask- dude has the best curve system sdsu ever made
Class was a joke. Half of the class only showed up for lecture because the lectures were boring. Tests were extremely difficult and a study guide was only given for the final and not the other two exams. Avoid this class if you can, but if you can't, then good luck!
I don't know why he had raving reviews because this professor was wack. I don't even know why I attended lecture because none of the crap he teaches correlated with super hard tests!And his final study guide was BULLSH*T!!! Why does SDSU keep teachers like him??? AHH FML!
Avg grade is a B+. Super easy just do the practice exams he posts on the ECR & write them on your study guide. might wanna plan a study session to do the exams in a group. he hardly changes the tests. don't buy book watch the movie in media center of the library
I thought Prof. Bizzoco was pretty cool. His lectures were interesting and he was pretty funny. Getting a good grade is EASY attend the lectures and study the past exams (very important) and read the book for the essay question. Although it is hard to get an A, I got a B+ very easy cause he has a very generous curve! I recommend taking this class!
Rick is a cool guy. A little slow but it was his first time teaching the class. Look over the "outlines" and do some real educated guessing when it comes to the test. The curve is so heavy! Put it this way. I had a 72% going into the final and ended up with a B+ in the class!
VERY EASY!! Did not really attend, formed a study group with other people in the class. We only studied the past exams and we all basically got As. Very nice man and willing to help. Def take this class!!
do not rely solely on his notes and powerpoints!! they are very simple and just outline topics covered.. i got in trouble doing that in the first exam. you must read the text to do well. must know concepts in detail because the material you least expect.. will be on his exam!! grades on a heavy curve!!
Really smart guy but he rambles on and on and on off his power-points (which are taken directly from the book). So you could get away with never going to class except for the test days and still get an A. He curves each test but not the final grade. Nice guy.
Really nice guy who is very passionate about biology. His teaching style is a little old school, but he is very approachable. While class is not mandatory, I would recommend that you attend every session. The class consists of only 3 exams and the curve doesn't help much. Hard to catch up if you fall behind.
Let's be honest here. Yes he curves each test heavily, which makes the class way easier than it should be. But unless you are willing to teach yourself the contents of the text detail for detail, you won't learn anything from this guy. Sitting in lecture will only put you to sleep...which is OK because you won't miss a thing. I learned nothing.
Get the book and study the chapters that are on each test and you will do fine. His tests are pretty specific but are curved at the end. He goes off on tangents so it is hard to focus on the material during the lecture but I would recommend going to class anyway to get a feel of which ideas he stresses the most. Class was curved, which helps.
Go to class. Do not listen to the people who say that studying the past exams (located on blackboard) will be enough to pass. Yes about 1/2 of the questions on the test are from past exams, the other half are from the lecture. Go to class, take good notes, form a study group and study the exams. Then you will easily get a B in the class.
Wow, this class was a cake walk. There are only three exams to take for the entire semester and he curves them all. Attendance is not mandatory and you will end up with a B with his curve. highly recommended!!
It was a struggle to pay attention to class, but taking notes is very important. Studying the practice exams was enough to get me a solid A in the class, but you MUST use your notes to answer the questions because most answers can't be found on google/ANYWHERE on the internet. The answers might have been in the book though, but I didn't buy it.
Wow this class is a breeze as long as you look over the study guides, do the practice exams and skim the book. NEVER went to class except the first day and exam days and ended up with an A- with a huge curve at the end.
I only went to lecture on exam dates. You honestly just have to lecture yourself and go over the practice test. You have to know everything because the test will have super specific questions. I got an 84 on the first exam, an 82 on the second, and a 76 on the final. With the curve I got a solid A in the class. That curve was insane!!
I don't get how he has such great reviews. I attended every class, read, reviewed study guides, and still did poor. Exams reflect nothing covered in class. I learned almost nothing from attending class. Waste of time and effort. Avoid if possible!!!
Very smart professor,he discovered archaea. Biol 211: great class+lecture for applied human health such as how to not get sick,etc Tests were hard.Do book/labs/study guides you should get a B.Bio 326: Great curve, and he kills it again with useful life knowledge for human health.Learn how drugs interact with the body and how to extend your life,etc
Easy B he is allergic to Cs. he has a huge curve. The only problem i have with him is that he take forever to grade test. I finished his class two weeks ago and have Report Delayed on web portal lol
Better off teaching yourself than going to lecture.
I'm currently taking his class right now. He is great and very knowledgeable and always in a good mood. He is very talkative, especially about the topics at hand and may go a bit overboard, which makes it difficult to know what he will have on an exam. But if you have correct notes, study, and of course understand what they mean you'll be fine :
3 exams. Some lectures were very interesting and some could be a bit boring, 8am does not help. He actually cares for you to learn about bio and how to prevent diseases in the work place. The practice tests he posts on BB helped since there were a chunk of them that were the exact ones on the exams. Curve was crazy! Saved my grade.
Basically, your textbook is your best friend so don't even bother showing up to his lectures because you will learn nothing. The only good thing about this class are his test curves.
Dr. Bizzoco is the wackiest professor I've ever had the pleasure of taking. Lectures are bizarre and all over the place but the material is super interesting. Second test MC was difficult but overall an easy A. Generous curve. Nice guy.
basically never showed up to class and got an A. somewhat of an easy class but be ready to read because that is the only way to pass his tests. his grading curve is absolutely insane, for example my overall grade was a C but i got an A with the curve.
Extremely boring class. The teacher spent a lot of time talking about hand washing and his experiences as a microbiologist. I learned NOTHING.
Attendance is not mandatory, just study a little before test and you'll get an A. He's a weird professor but the class is interesting.
His class was boring so I stopped attending after 3 lectures. I studied his previous exam questions (provided on blackboard), and the questions at the end of each chapter. I received high clow bb on the three exams and received a B+ in the class after the curve.
Tests are incredibly random and not on anything he teaches. Nice and smart guy but not a good teacher.
Lecture doesn't match up with exams very well so you're basically gonna be teaching yourself throughout the semester. 8am class only makes it worse. Don't take him if you don't have to.
I never went to class but I always read the chapters before the test. Lectures were boring and way too early in the morning.
Bizzoco really knows what he's talking about in regards to microbiology. It's easy to get lost and bored during his lectures but they really help you understand the material. You can read the book and not go to class and still pass but going to class once in a while could help, especially when he tells you what will be on the exams. (He curves)
He is a terrible professor. I would never take one of his classes if I had the choice. His lectures are boring and tends to ramble, but not about important information pertaining to the chapters.
He was an ok professor. He would lecture about the same things over and over and have little room to progress. Morning classes were not helpful, he had good intentions, very passionate about two major things, Archaea and handwashing. Buy the book, look at his slides, outlines, and previous exams to study. Lots of tangents in lecture.
This class was extremely frustrating. I studied for one of his midterms for 8 days in advance and only got a C. I definitely knew the material but he gives trick questions (he told me this on purpose). When I went into his office hours he was kind of belittling and it was hard to learn anything. I learned more in lab than in lecture.
If you could get out of this course I would. It was at 8AM so most people didn't go to class. The curve for the class is pretty nice, so you can expect one letter grade above what you actually receive in the class. It also depends on your grade in lab because the two are averaged. If you don't procrastinate on studying, you should get a good grade.
I had 3 tests in this class and they were moderately tough. His lectures were long and repetitive so I never really attended. You can pass this class if you are able to read and understand the material from the textbook. Everyone definitely respects him for being an expert in his field, but not the most captivating teacher.
Dr. Bizzoco wasn't a very good lecturer, but I have to admit he was pretty funny. He'd crack a few sarcastic jokes that I enjoyed. He knows the material well but does a poor job at explaining it. He sometimes rambles on during his lectures, which loses the class's focus. Definitely read the textbook and take notes in order to pass.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
0%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.12 avg changeRatings by Course
326
5.0
(1)BIO375
5.0
(1)BIO211326
5.0
(1)BIO
4.5
(2)PLANTSMED
4.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
MICROBIOLOGY
5.0
326
4.0
BIO201A
3.7
BIOL201A
3.5
BIOL211
3.5