Great Prof. Cared about students' performance. Good lecturer.

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Brooker is a hot red-haired David Duchovny who is ready to peak your interest in the world of genetics.

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Rob is hilarious! He's quite knowledgable (he wrote the textbook he uses) and has excellent communication skills. He makes himself available to help students outside of class. He seems to love what he does. Also, he's very sensitive to the needs of visual learners; he uses a lot of animations, which I found quite helpful.

Brooker is a very good professor. He makes himself very available to students who need help. He even volunteers to CALL people who need help before exams. Lectures are well organized and he's very clear. He's very humourous, and I recommend taking his class. Very Knowledgable as well. He wrote the textbook he uses.

Brooker is an incredible biology professor. He just finished the text book we use in his class, and the book is amazing. He tells you exactly what to study, the tests are fair, and lecture is entertaining because he makes fun of himself a lot. I would recommend him to anyone!

Very knowledgeable, easy to talk to, tests are hard but fair-be sure to take notes and read the text before each class.

Dr. Brooker is a wonderful teacher who knows what he is talking about. The class is not easy but if you really focus on the study guides it should help!

Brooker is a great professor. His powerpoints and study guides are very helpful. I have just been studying what is on the study guides and have gotten high As on both midterms. I would not even look at parts of the chapter that is not discussed on the study guides. I love the class so far!

He's very passionate about teaching and has a great personality which made lectures enjoyable to go to. His book is wonderful and he does an outstanding job at explaining the concepts. Some of his test questions can be a bit tricky but if you're well prepared you won't have difficulty receiving an A in this course.

Professor Brooker is great. Very helpful, clearly cares about his students. Lectures are straight out of the textbook (which he wrote). Encourages class participation with clickers and "voting". Tests are fair, but be prepared to study.

Brooker did an amazing job on this course, I really understood the material good. Then came Naoko Shima (dun dun dun). DO NOT take this course if it is co-taught by Naoko, but if Brooker teaches it alone, it will be awesome.

I love this professor! He is very funny and he knows what he is talking about. I learned a lot from his class, and I find his exams very understandable and straight forward. If you keep up the reading, and study his notes and study guides, you will do good in his class. Take that class if you see his name on it!

Brooker covered for a few lectures while the main guy was out of town. As per usual, Brooker made the lectures absurdly informative and entertaining. It is always a pleasure having him teach.

One of the best professors I have ever had. great sense of humor. Using his study guides will guarantee you an A. I highly recommend him

Brooker is an awesome professor. I had him for BIOL2003 and again for Genetics (BIOL4003). He is very intelligent, and really engages you with the material. Reading the textbook is good since he wrote both textbooks! He's a fun guy, and even plays music before class! I definitely learned a ton!

Great. Plays music. Not that easy but is clear about his expectations. He thinks highly of his students. Super chill.

Brooker exceeded my expectations (which were already high) and presented the material in a clear, concise manner. I was engaged through most of the lectures and I loved how he had high expectations but helped us along the way if we had questions. He is one of the best teachers I've ever had.

I didn't do the greatest in his class but I learned a ton and it was because of this guy. He is super nice, very laid-back, incredibly knowledgable and straightforward about his material. You can't go wrong with this professor.

Hands down, the best science prof I've had at the U. Clear expectations, great study guides, not tricky on tests. Engages the class every day. Wish I could take him for 4004.

Great professor. He wrote the book, and therefore, the tests are based off of it almost verbatim. Makes lectures fun, tells jokes before exams, and even plays music. Fair grader and obviously cares about his students. Definitely would take another class from him.

His pre-quiz jokes make my week. His tests aren't too bad if you memorize the tables/figures in the book verbatim. Don't just memorize "how it works", memorize step 1, step 2, etc. Great prof!

Amazing and highly reccommend taking this class with him.

Professor Brooker is an amazing teacher! He explains things clearly and has astonishing command of the subject matter (He did co-author the textbook after all). I took the class online and never ran into any problems. His audio lectures were clear and easy to follow and his tests matched the notes verbatim. Great class!

Fantastic course and instructor. Lectures were straightforward and simple, very little wasted time, and everything was based firmly on the (well-written) textbook. Tests were very fair and also based very much on the book; no major unpleasant surprises on exams. Highly recommended. (Biggest con: at-home labs)

Dr. Brooker is the first science teacher I've had at UMN who has told students he values them. His online lectures require attention, but allow students to work at their own pace. Grading expectations are clear- he goes over test material in weekly problem sets. Dr. Brooker is an amazing professor- you will learn a lot and feel inspired.

Textbook are helpful for homework. Tests are based on homework and weekly quizzes but because the quiz result won't come out until Sunday night, you can't know what you got wrong on the last quiz include din the exam.

If you have taken Found. of Bio in CBS, you will master of genetics with Brooker. The class is set up in the same with group projects and exams. The only difference is that he does NOT lecture in class but posts online video lectures you watch prior to class. There is also a quiz EVERY DAY of lecture, so come prepared. Overall, Brooker was great.

There was a quiz every single day of class, but they could be easily passed with very minimal studying effort. The lectures are completely online and generally quite dull, and the entire class time being devoted to group projects that provide little educational benefit. Overall, I felt like I could have learned much more from a different professor.

He's very knowledgeable and is a great lecturer. Definitely study the lecture and study slides, thats where all of his test material comes from.

Dr. Brooker is the best professor I have had at the U. Extremely passionate about material. Lectures are clear and straight forward as well as exams. **** BE AWARE OF GROUP PROJECTS**** His projects are difficult and beyond frustrating if you have a bad group. That being said, I had a horrible group but would take him again just to learn from him.

If you have taken foundations, it is the same thing

Great teacher, easy A. I'm currently taking this class and on one of my labs I forgot an entire 2 questions and still got 10/10. Labs are at home which sucks, but put in effort and he will give you full credit. Also online group meetings and online group homework every week.

Solid professor, solid class. Took the online version. Clear structure, substantive without being overwhelming, no bs. The group assignments are no big deal; don't fret. Rob is really reasonable and easy to work with. Class is not easy, but isn't too challenging if you keep up and go through the lecture slides and listen to his lectures dilligently

Rob is a great professor. He's very laidback and understanding, he's also very clear about what you need to learn and study. I really enjoyed his portion of the class (Cell Biology) and definitely recommend you take BIOL 2003 with him if you can. Also, you will learn to appreciate his jokes.

Good professor. Took this as an online class (Biol 1009), so I didn't see too much of him beyond the lecture videos. However, if you take that online class, the lecture videos are unnecessary. Just read the book and you'll do fine. I'd suggest taking the tests in person rather than remote proctoring as remote proctoring can be kind of shady.

He teaches the Cell Biology part of Foundations 2. He was an absolute blast to be around. He also takes time to explain when you have questions. He is incredibly smart, so smart that he writes textbooks for fun. I would take any class he teaches in a heartbeat.

I took the class online, and the lectures were video recordings of him lecturing. This class was just tests, weekly quizzes, and then weekly problems and a long term project with a group. Since it was online, it was hard to get group members to do their work in a timely manner. The book isn't necessary, but nice to have for the problems in the back

Rob gives you all the tools to succeed in his class. He records online lectures (for his online course) and makes them available for you. Study powerpoints + online lectures make his class a breeze. I found myself studying 2-3 hours for his class per week. Work time for group projects takes up majority of class time and outside (2-4 hours per week)

Overall, the course was tougher than expected, given the reviews saying how easy it was. Only 3 exams (no cumulative final!), 1 GIANT group project (for an online class, yep), and weekly HW/quizzes make up your grade. Tests are tough in that its 40 points/free response and 5 points each multiple choice, so little room for error.

He is a very nice teacher, & the class is very reasonable. 3 exams (no final), 14 online quizzes, 14 group HW assignments . I initially thought the exams will be very tough since there are 20 (5 pt) multiple choice Q's & 2 (40 pt) Q's. However, Exams HW + Quizzes. Make sure to get the textbook & study the figures and in-chapter Quiz questions!

Overall easy class. Tests are from the learning objectives, weekly quizzes, and homework assignments. This is definitely the better way to go than taking this class in person. Labs at home might be annoying, but I don't think he really spends much time looking at your answers. There's a definite emphasis on genetics, which can be helpful.

I love Brooker! He was one of the amazing professors I've ever had! His grading is genuinely; as long as you participate and learn the materials, you will either get an A or a B. There are a lot of team work: weekly homework and 2 big projects. I didn't use the textbook, but study mainly from his lecture videos. There are no exams!

He is an AMAZING professor. Teaches well, makes class fun (he's hilarious), and is always willing to help students who need it (if you ask)! He truly cares about his students and teaches very clearly. I absolutely loved his class and he is a very solid professor. If I have the option to take a class with him in the future, I would definitely do it!

Very easy class, put minimal effort in and got an A. Memorize the quizzes because they are the test. Would highly recommend taking the online version and taking him again. Rob is great!

Rob is great and as light hearted as a geneticist can be. I greatly enjoyed his humour and Shakira played at the beginning of class. Grading was pretty straight forward and the textbook was useful for revision for the Wed tests. Material has been taught in every CBS class ever with a bit extra. A lot of work

Def one of the kinder and more easy going instructors I've had. His teaching is straight forward and helpful

Rob was very easy going and humorous but also very intelligent and holds students to high standards. The class is tough but Rob makes it enjoyable!

Brooker is one of the best professors I've had so far. He wrote the textbook used in class, so it is clear that he is a leading figure in the field and is respected. He also brings humor to the class, which was a real relief after enduring a month and a half of Mosser teaching. Grading is clear, he cares about his students, and is overall great!

Robert Brooker is the man. This online version of 4003 is probably the easiest as friends taking the inperson lecture as saying how much harder it is. Tests are relatively easy (all multiple choice online). Follow the outline he provides and shouldn't be too hard. Has weekly quizzes and problem sets with your group. Can be hard doing it online.

Brooker's online lectures can be a little bland, but his dry humor & knowledge of the subject makes up for it. After all, he literally wrote the textbook used in the course. Students in his online genetics course work on assignments in groups, for which he gives good feedback. Also, he makes himself very accessible outside of class, which is great!

Rob is one of my favorite professors. You can tell he is very passionate about educating students and wants everyone to succeed. His lectures and tests match up pretty well, which is always helpful for studying. He always tries to keep lectures interesting and jokes around occasionally.

One of the most genuine professors ever, doesn't try to trick you on exams for the most part. The exams are VERY similar to the ones he posts online and you can get at least a B if you put in effort. The drawings that he puts in the exams are a bit tedious but overall he is a great professor. You can tell he cares about his students doing well.

Dr. Brooker mentions he wrote the textbook every day, but he does know his stuff. His quizzes are easy, if you watch the lectures and participate in the weekly problem sets. His final was so easy he said he was embarrassed to hand it out.

Love this man. He was always ready to help and his lectures were very useful. His tests were very fair as everything was straight from the lecture slides. The exams were more memorization-based rather than conceptual. He's super nice and funny, so I actually enjoyed going to foundations. Highly recommend.

Brooker is an awesome professor! He provides everything you need to be successful and is very good at finding time to meet with students. He wrote the textbook which was VERY helpful for the test and quiz questions. He doesn't try to trick students which is awesome but challenges students to understand the content

Genetics seemed a bit scary at first but it ended up being one of my favorite classes so far. The class is made up of 2 quizzes a week (Mon and Wed) with a super easy one on Mon (10 pts) and then a harder one on Wed (40 pts) with 2 dropped of each. Make sure you do good on them so you have room for the super easy final he gives and the group paper.

Robert Brooker is the KING of biology and the best professor I have had in CBS by FAR. So cool and down to earth, really knows his stuff, and is superb at teaching his knowledge in a way that is understandable and retainable. Wish he would teach the entire course by himself!!

Rob is really nice and is really clear on what he wants his students to know. From what I heard from students in the other class, I would definitely recommend him over them. He also wrote the textbook so that's a plus. He has basically everything you need to know in the lectures. Make sure you are really specific in weekly projects.

Rob is a solid choice. He knows his stuff (and will drop little "I wrote the textbook"s to remind you). He's pretty nice and helpful, but you need to work for it on the group project as he can be very nit-picky, and cell bio can be tricky. The quizzes are easy and the exams are manageable. He can be a bit judgmental but you'll do well in any case.

Great prof, one of the best in CBS that really makes class enjoyable. All class content is located on lecture slides, and the exams aren't very difficult, make sure you know the concepts and review the quizzes. There is a lot of emphasis on group work and projects. Rob really cares about his students and he always tells us that we're smart kids.

You can tell Rob really cares about his students. His exams covered material that he lectured on and did not include anything tricky. His exams were also pretty similar to his practice exams.

Kind and very knowledgeable professor. His slides are useful for quiz and exam preparation. He is responsive to emails and approachable! He also recognizes that there are many students who want to succeed and need to do well in the class, so there is no curve or grade cutoff based on other students' performance.

Knew what he was talking about, great at answering questions, very understanding. The weekly quizzes were easy points. The tests were also easy if you listen during lecture and go through past exams. Overall, Brooker made class enjoyable despite lecture going on for two hours.

Dr. Brooker is awesome! He is always willing to help by setting up personal meetings over Zoom. He also gives good feedback on assignments and progress reports. Lastly, he is very understanding if you're sick. There is a lot of group work, so hope you have a great group. This class is a decent amount of work, but an A is totally possible.

Dr. Brooker is great, you can tell he wants you to succeed in the course. The group project can be a little taxing, but manageable when broken down and it depends on your group members. Great setup for an online course.

Dr. Brooker was a delight. Given that he wrote the course's textbook, he was very clear about what he wanted us to focus on for exams and really cared about student performance. His tests were always reasonable and there were very few surprises. I would recommend that anyone needing to take BIOL2003 take with Dr. Brooker - you won't regret it.

Dr. Brooker is very intelligent and a pretty nice person also. However, it felt like this class turned into a reading comprehension course, as Brooker wrote the textbook. If you're looking for a relatively easy A in genetics, take the online version, but if you are truly interested in the subject, you might want to choose another option.

Solid well-organized course. You read a chapter each week and complete a quiz and a group problem set, every other week you submit part of your group project. Rob gives a lot of feedback on the progress reports and can be picky, but you're only graded on the final, each update is just to keep you on track. Good if you like to work at your own pace.

Brooker is a great guy. Class grade is very test-heavy, but the tests aren't too hard. The textbook will be your greatest study tool. All I did to prepare for exams was read the textbook right before and I did well. The group project sucks, but isn't graded too harshly. Overall, the class can be time consuming, but not terribly hard to do well in

Brooker is a nice guy and I enjoyed this class. The only complaints I have is that this was basically foundations all over again with the group project. Also, there were a lot of questions on the exams that seemed like they came out of nowhere and were not covered in any of the material we were given. Overall, he is one of the better professors.

Rob is funny&nice. Grading is clearly outlined, but as a student I can feel lost in the largeness of the class. I don't expect him to give special attention to each person, but when we speak into the mics he barely looks our way. Not in a rude way, just in a "let's get stuff done" way. Very group-work oriented. Overall he made this class worth it.

BIOL4003 is what Foundations should've been and is set up similarly. Dr. Brooker gives reasonable quiz questions and helpful feedback. He is accessible and open to questions. There is quite a bit of group work and all the lectures are watched outside of class, so it is fairly time-consuming. However, it is very possible to do well in the course.

Outstanding! I'm admittedly a challenging student at times and was plagued by health issues while taking the course. Prof Brooker was understanding and worked with me to make up missed work. Classes are engaging and material is clear. Lots of homework and group assignments, but this prevents grades from being entirely exam based, which is helpful.

Big trust: take Rob

Rob was great as a professor. he would go above and beyond to grade almost everything in class himself, send out emails at 12am and 5 am in the morning, and talk to his students outside of class. He is always pulling jokes and being super caring. He's a great professor that really does care about his students.

Overall, a good professor. I took this online so made the group project a little difficult but he was very understanding. Weekly lecture vids, quizzes, team problem sets, and reflections. Interesting topics, not a stressful class

Rob was a fantastic professor for foundations 2. His content and expectations were clear, and that made the class easier. His half of the class had a long term group project, but it was not bad as he would give constant feedback. He would also crack up jokes before weekly quizzes, which made the class more fun.

This man was such a caring guy. He really wanted us to do well in the class and gave us a lot of opportunities to do well, or at least try to understand what we were not getting. Overall he wanted us all to end with A's which was highly encouraging. His exams were straightforward and I genuinely liked going to class this semester.

Great, funny guy! He is very passionate about teaching and biology and clearly loves his students. He does have difficult tests and is a fairly difficult grader when it comes to the long-term project. Also, he wrote the textbook..so read it.

Robert Brooker was a great professor and was always very clear about what was to be expected when it came time to take an exam. I would 100% recommend his class!

Dr. Brooker is great!

Rob has been my favorite prof. at the U. He is very knowledgable about what he teaches, and is more than happy to discuss any questions or concerns. His exams were tough for me but he is the most encouraging and kind person it made me feel much better, and he tries to be fair and understanding of his students. 10/10 recommend

Dr. Brooker's class structure and canvas was laid out in a very clear way even in an online course, and he responded quickly to emails. There is a semester long group project and weekly group problem sets which can be hard to coordinate with members, but it is fine as long as there is clear communication set early between everyone.

By far one of the best professors I have had. Wants students to do well and structures the class well. There definitely was a lot of material crammed into some weeks as it was a flipped classroom so it was overwhelming at time. Make sure to get ahead of watching lectures or reading. Visit his office hours for help, he's really nice.

Rob is a great professor, I would definitely recommend taking with him! The material is very dense though, so start studying for exams early. I would recommend studying the problem set, quizzes, and Quizlets that past students have made. Lots of group work and some weeks material is ALOT, but Rob is understanding and wants students to do well.

Dr. Brooker is super passionate about the content he teaches and cares a lot about his students. With the flipped format class setup there is a lot of content to cover outside of class but if you can stay on top of the videos you can do very well in his course.

Dr. Brooker can be very sassy, which I think is really funny. I also think he is on his last straw b/c of the chronic jokes he makes. I took the online section- but his videos were thorough. He responds to emails literally right as you send them. Feedback on the LTP was vague and not really helpful.

Brooker was a chill and funny guy. I had to watch his lectures and read his textbook a lot to get good grade!

Great professor who wants students to succeed. The material is dense, so start studying early. Leverage past student resources like Quizlets and unstuck study for effective prep. Lots of group work, but the professor is understanding.

His online genetics class fills up immediately for very good reason! One thing to note is that there is a group project, but he does a very good job to encourage and enforce equitable work distribution with the class layout. The pacing is good and he provides many different formats of the content + learning goals to make it accessible for everyone.

Dr. Brooker is a great professor who cares about how well his students learn. The recorded lectures are the only downside of the course (in length) but his charismatic and joking nature makes up for it. Exams are reasonable, and he is very accommodating of any extenuating circumstances

Rob is a super sweet professor, he is very flexible and wants you to do good! As long as you keep up with the content, you'll do good. He doesn't lecture much in class and uses online videos of himself lecturing.

Compared to Matthes and Wang that I had for foundations 1, Brooker is a saint. I really dislike the flipped classroom approach to learning, but the content is not very hard. Tests are extremely forgiving as well.

Rob Brooker is an incredible professor who genuinely cares about his students. He is incredibly knowledgeable in the course content, as well, and does a wonderful job at explaining concepts both during lecture and outside of lecture. I would completely recommend taking him for BIOL2003.

Dr. Rob is a nice guy. As they say, he does have long online videos, and they help digest the complex text for class. He doesn't go over much in class as it's reserved for team projects, but he isn't bad. The exams are specific, and his TA's can be annoying, but he's better than Anna Mosser. He's great by UMN standards.

Great Professor who cares about his students. Test content was very fair and in all honesty quite easy. I didn't care for the flipped lectures, but the class was pretty easy anyway. For the group project, pray for a good group.