2.2
Quality4.0
Difficulty19%
Would Retake150
Reviews19%
Would Retake
150
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5
19
4
14
3
24
2
31
1
62
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“Just terrible professor”
BIO111 - 2.0 rating“Such a terrible professor”
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Textbook Required
25%
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112
5.0
(1)BIO112113
5.0
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4.3
(6)BIO225
4.0
(4)BIO112
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Best professor ever.
HIPPIE MINCKLEY RULES! this man is amazing, cool, and LOVES BEES! you haven't experienced bio until you take one of his classes.
Bob was a great professor and I would take his class again in a heartbeat. We didnt realize how good we had it until 2nd semester...
Great guy, but has no idea how to make and grade exams.
You will be thrilled that you got through 112 when you compare this class to 111. 113 is so basic! and minkley is the man! and LOVES BEES! Simple ideas, all you need for exams is a basic understanding and a few examples that he mentions in class.
Exams were unfair, textook was irrelevant, recitations were absolutely useless. Material was specific to his interests. Made me appreciate (and even miss) Platt and BIO112.
WORST TEACHER I HAVE EVER HAD. has NO interest in his students. lectures are terrible & he doesn't even try to make interesting. has stated "i dont really care so im going to teach whatever i feel like". tests are stupid in that don't test knowledge but rather test how well you memorized trivial info. writes tests the night of. very disorganized!
As far as I can tell, worst professor in the University. No idea how to teach/administer an intro course. Kind of a fun guy though.
Awful teacher. Ruined Biology for me. I am changing my major because of him. Does not care at all about his students and has absolutely no interest in teaching. I don't even know why he is a teacher. Exams are poorly written and do not properly assess your knowledge of the material
AWESOME GUY AND AWESOME TEACHER!! People always complain about intro biology classes because some students just aren't interested enough to keep up. Need to put in work and study but the class is interesting and Minckley is a great teacher---especially compared to upper-level biology professors. If you can't take him then you won't go far in Bio
Horrid teacher. Clearly does not want to be in lecture nor in his office hours.
Incredibly apathetic. Poorly written exams with ridiculous stipulations (eg: getting 6 points off a 8 point short answer for not putting the word "quickly" in the answer). Had a sub one day, 10x better literally.
Material covered in this class is all fairly straightforward. However, its the exams that make this class ridiculous. 80% of them is vocabulary that's mentioned once in either the lecture or textbook. The lecture and textbook overlap randomly. Very little wiggle room for what seems like easy test questions. Only posts fragmented slides online.Hesuc
Took him for an upper level lab. He's another UR prof much more interested in his research than teaching. His way or the highway, be prepared to manipulate the way you do everything in the lab to mimic his way or don't just get low grades-get zeroes for work that takes hours.
The most enthusiastic professor
I just wanted to rate his hotness.
Took an upper level lab with him and absolutely loved it. He's sarcastic and not scared to tell you what he thinks but I've learned more from him than any other professor here. Definitely pushes you to learn as much as possible.
CAUTION: It is nearly impossible to keep up with his lectures. He goes VERY quickly, and so I recommend typing up notes instead of trying to write them down, and he does not slow down much if you ask him to. He is also known to give unfair tests at times (check out exam 2 of 2011), but if you try, it's not hard to do well, and he's really funny.
This guy is AWFUL - Not only does he lack passion for his subject but he gives tests that are incredibly unfair. They're all vocabulary based, with almost zero conceptual elements that the real world of biology requires. Furthermore, he tests things that are only briefly mentioned or appear once in the readings he gives. All rote memorization!
Minckley is the most unhelpful professor I have ever met. When you ask him a question in class, he will usually say that he's already mentioned that in class and have you look it up. If you ask him a question after class he will tell you he talked about it in class. If you ask him to go back to a previous powerpoint, 90% of the time he won't.
He goes extremely quickly in class over a lot of information. The tests test a ridiculous amount of topics and it's extremely hard to tell what points are the most important and what will be tested on. He speaks quietly and the slides are randomly available or not available online.
You'll get lost if you don't go to lecture, because some but not even close to all material is taught there; usually has a question or two from scientific readings, but not reading them isn't a huge deal. He moves fast, but you can follow if you put in the effort. Also, recitations are barely related to subject matter, but help to pad your grade.
Show up to class, define all the terms on the tests, even if it doesn't specifically as you to, and memorize a lot.
Minckley is a terrible teacher. His exams do not match what he teaches in class, so they're impossible, and he is an incredibly strict grader. Don't take take this class if you don't need to.
General consensus is that he is awful. However, I personally enjoyed the class. I love biology and found the material interesting. Though the class is a challenge, and he may be unclear at times and seem a little on the depressed side, I walked away feeling like I learned a lot. If you pay close attention and study hard you will be fine.
I know people suggest you take notes on a laptop, but if you can write quickly enough, you should try handwriting notes in a notebook, because often he will put pictures from slides on tests and ask you to identify them. He loves bees, but doesn't make awful puns about them, which is good. Also, he is definitely the dreamiest professor I've had.
Bob is a cool, old hippie but his class isn't cake. I never missed lecture, recitation and studied but still didn't do well. He is interesting and has a draw sense of humor. BUT if you have background in bio, that's key. Otherwise, take another natural science.
Bobs a babe and I kind of love him. His class is no walk in the park, but if you attend lecture, write thorough notes (of what HE SAYS in addition to the power points) and understand good examples - you will be fine. I suggest reading the text book and taking notes. I never went to him for help, but he seems nice enough!
Minckley is a toughie. You need to go to every lecture to understand the material because he tests on random facts that he says in class. His slides are incomplete so it's essential to take notes on what he says rather than what's on the PowerPoint. However he seems like a cool dude and he is very smart. I learned a lot in this class.
He tests on random stuff he says so go to class and take notes. His TA's do a great job so go to workshop too. READ. STUDY. It's a difficult class and even if you think you're working hard you might not get a good grade. He can be rude to students so don't ask stupid or even normal questions. Lab is easy.
He goes way to fast and his tests ask the most trivial questions that have little to do with the focus of the lectures.
Totally loved taking this class and the information he presented. Yes, he is fast. But, if you can keep up (or fill in your notes later) you're golden. Go to workshops, attend class, and make sure you define EVERY word on exams... even those not asked. Plus, know the minute details you never thought you'd have to remember. It's hard, but doable.
This class was difficult, unorganized, and infuriating. Bob loves to mumble his lectures, so sit close to the front and write down literally everything he says. His tests can most closely be compared to random trivia, and many of the "key" concepts covered in lecture are not on the test. Don't take this class if you don't have to.
He can come across as insensitive. He's the only professor I've ever heard described as "emo". And yet BIO 111 was my favorite class ever, and I'm now good friends with Dr. Minckley. Once you get to know him, he's avuncular.
He is not helpful and comes across as "high" to most student that I have spoken to who have taken the class. I dont find him interesting and if you sak him a question, sometimes he answers as "you should know this im not telling you and this is extremely annoying!
First off, Bob is a great human being. But his tests are kind of hard. Instead of focusing on the main ideas covered (both in class and in the readings) he'll have most of the questions asking to define terminology he mentioned once in passing. To succeed in his class, be ready to make a ton of flashcards and study a lot.
His exams are very erratic and cover very random material. Very inconsistent. However, I must say, when very stupid questions are asked in lecture, he gives quite funny and sassy responses. That could come off as rude, but the nature of the questions asked almost beg for such a response.
No. The material on the tests are not what he emphasizes in lecture. Questions are strict memorization, and in the way he wants them written. Goes fast through the slides, basically says what the book says. Not very approachable. Seems like he'd rather not be there.
The first time I took this course I got a C+, the second time I took it I got a B+. Minckley's tests ask stupid questions that hardly relate to overall concepts. Be prepared to deal with trivial facts that he mentions once in class. Type notes on laptop and definitely review notes after class on daily basis.
He is not going to baby you; Minckley expects you to put forth the work to do well in his course. If you do the work he assigns, attend his office hours sometimes, and attend lecture you will do very well. Lecture is key because he will ask questions on exams straight from lecture. He is a really good guy that is interested in helping his students.
Had him for both bio and ecosystems. He has a dry sense of humor, but I actually love it. He can come off as uncaring, but he's actually the sweetest guy ever. And his obsession with bees is the best. If you pay attention in case and participate, it'll go a long way. He really wants everyone to do well.
Lectures are confusing. His power points consists of pictures. He doesn't go through everything, and keeps skipping back and forth. So if you zone out for a couple minutes, good luck understanding. His exams are hard and not related to what he talks about in class. He asks things he says he wont ask about and there is no curve.
One of the toughest class that I have ever taken. Tests are not related to the lecture, so basically you need to figure out the way to study. Stuff that he mentions for like 3 seconds in the lecture is likely to be on the test. Just terrible professor.
I took his class over the summer, he's such a great guy. Yes, his exams are tough and you need to remember every little thing he mentioned in class, but his lectures are interesting. He's such a great guy to talk to about anything or ask for help.
he's a funny guy but his tests are on the little details that don't matter from the book. you can get away with never going to lecture and just memorizing the textbook, and you'll ace the class.
Minckley is a great professor and very passionate about what he teaches. As long as you go to class and do your homework you should get an A in this class.
Avoid taking his class if you can.
Great man and scientists; bad professor. He's eccentric and absent-minded in class. His tests are focus on things that he barely mentions in passing in class. A lot of memorization definitely. Even though I got good grades, I definitely thought this class was meh.
His lectures are all over the place and have no order. He flies through his slides and then something he mentioned for 5 secs is on the test while something he talked about for 20 mins isn't. He seemed disinterested in teaching the class and he even forgot to print off 50 exams for the first one. Doing well on exams is all about BSing and buzzwords
worst exams ever............... expect to write down everything you can think of that relates even just a little bit to the question (regardless if the question asks for it), otherwise don't be surprised to have points taken off for no reason...
The worst professor ever. The exams were unorganized. Throw random ideas to you during lecture. Need extra work to get an A
Minckley can be a little bit disorganized from time to time, but overall it is not difficult to do well in his class. He really likes the Colinvaux book. Just beware, there tends to be more pop quizzes when people don't show up.
Professor Minckley is easily one of the worst professors I have ever had. He lacks organization in his lectures and fails to provides students with concepts to focus on. His exams are not impossible if you put in the time but that can be said for the majority of professors at this university. Minckley has very little to offer his students.
Tests on obscure objects, grades unfairly, completely inaccessible to students. Avoid taking Minckley if at all possible.
Tests are unfair and don't focus on the main points emphasized in recitations and class. Lectures are all over the place, and you won't know what's important or if Minckley is going off on a tangent. Boring to listen to and extremely unapproachable. Avoid taking a class with Minckley if you can.
Professor Minckley was not the best professor. His lectures mostly only contained pictures and had very little writing and the lectures were not recorded. He would often emphasize big concepts, but they would not always show up on the test and instead, trivial points would show up that were weighted heavily.
It was just an awful class. Bring a voice recorder otherwise you will need to copy every single thing he says. And even that does not always work. Read the whole textbook, maybe that will help.
Minckley exams's focused on material that he just touched for a couple minutes during lecture. His exams do not typically focus on big picture ideas. His lectures were disorganized and mainly included pictures so if you try to go back and look at them, it isn't helpful. You have to really work hard to get an A, maybe even a B in the class.
Such a terrible professor. Would often go off on tangents irrelevant to the big picture and his lectures were all pictures numerous too specific examples. His tests were not reflective of any of the important topics and often asked too detailed questions about the most arbitrary points that were never emphasized. He also doesn't care about students
Awful. Can't get any worse than Prof. Minckley. Avoid if possible. I'm so scarred from this class.
He's a great guy who really cares about what he does. The grading setup is very generous and the exams are purely based on his lectures.
Disrespectful to students in lecture, exams have questions on material never covered in lecture. When you go to him for help, he talks down to you. Genuinely the worst professor I've ever had.
Very rude to his students and not often willing to help people with logistical problems like attendance and missing lectures. Very lecture heavy but definitely read the textbook if you're looking to do well.
Minckley's lectures are difficult to follow since he puts very little information on the slides, only pictures. He breezes through his lectures without giving time for the students to understand, and then proceeds to give sarcastic responses when students ask questions. Also, clickers don't work in the hall bc the signal is bad but he doesn't care.
Professor Minckley now records. I took this class a year late. Truly the BEST way to do well in this class is attend lecture & listen to what he SAYS. Re-listen to his lectures and write down everything he says. Dont bother with textbook. If you simply know everything he has said in lecture you can easily do well. He is not as bad as rated.
Minckley doesn't care about the quality of his class or lectures. Furthermore, his exams are horrible and do not reflect the lectures. For instance, he has a tendency to focus heavily on 2 or 3 topics when 6 topics should be on the test. Plus, he relies on clicker quizzes for attendance, which don't work half the time, and also cost $15 for the app
Lecture attendance mandatory. Tests are basically trivia questions, and are completely based on rote memorization of trivial details of the lecture. If you didn't happen to memorize the right part of the lectures, you're completely screwed. Very few easy points compared to other classes. Prof. is very condescending and doesn't answer questions.
What a lame excuse for a college level course. He emphasizes that you need to understand concepts and themes but this is not true. His test are trivia questions and your grade is dependent on luck. The course material is by no means hard, he just is not a good teacher and his tests are quite unfair. Kinda sad that you pay 70k for this low quality.
The best way to succeed in this class is to rewatch the lectures before exams. Read the book only if you feel the need of another perspective to understand a concept.
Bob is such an awesome professor. This class is really informational and interesting. Going to office hours really helps to, because he's easy to approach!
It appears as though this professor intentionally wants to make his students miserablehe claims that something is an "aside" and "not important", and then goes and puts that as the highest marked question in the exam. Additionally, he is lethargic when delivering lectures and condescending when students ask questions. Definitely try to avoid.
Bob is really passionate about biology, but it takes a lot of memorization, reading assigned papers, and making study guides to get to where he expects you to be. Use the exams from previous years to help you understand the types of questions. Often they are very detail-oriented. You can ask if something will be on the test but be prepared for sass
If you can bump up to 113. DO IT! Ask the professor (you'll need at least an A- from 110). His exams are awful. To study you better remember the dumbest tiniest unrelated details of the lectures to succeed. Course material not hard. Minckley's enthusiasm to teach nonexistent.
If you can switch to 113 do it. He seems annoyed to teach and his exams are a mess. Doesn't give answer keys to past exams so you have no idea what is expected of you. Exams make up your whole grade and they're terribly made. Avoid at all costs
One of the worst professors I've ever had. His lectures are scattered to the point where I've had to rewatch them 2-3 times. Exams are a huge part of the grade yet they're unclear and graded harshly. Also, he's unwilling to change his lecturing style after multiple people complaining we can't hear or see him (and the slides) clearly.
The worst professor I've ever had. He is rude, completely inaccessible outside of class and took advantage of asynchronous lectures to give us way more work. His tests were overly specific to the point of being ridiculous and you had to quite literally write down every word he said in lecture to succeed.
Horrible professor. The worst professor I have ever had. The lectures were disorganized and scattered. The tests were horribly made and graded and are pretty much the only thing that counts for your gradel
The absolute worst professor I've ever had in my college career. Studied A LOT for this class but it didn't matter because his exams were impossible. If you forget one small little detail, you basically lose all your points. Also very unaccommodating and rude. Avoid if possible!
Not gonna lie, he kind of is a terrible professor. One of the most condescending people I have ever met. I loved the content but everything about the way in which he structured the class was so bad. Class discussions and office hours were just painful to attend. He was just annoyingly sarcastic and would never actually answer your questions.
Dr. Minckley is an excellent professor. He is enthusiastic to help and you can tell that he really wants his students to succeed. He is also really funny and I loved going to his lectures. A lot of the comments are upset about the difficulty of the course and then blame it on the professor. Yes, you need to work a bit, but the professor is amazing
Great content to study but too hard to get an A
Dr. Minckely might seem a little cold at first when you're sitting in an auditorium with 250 other people, but when you meet him, he's such a kind and helpful professor. He talks a little slowly but makes a lot of funny jokes during class so I never fall asleep. Dr. Minckely is passionate about the subject and sets clear expectations for the class
My favorite professor this semester!!!
Do whatever the heck you can to avoid this professor. bio 113 doesn't require you to have ap credit, just go to 113. you HAVE TO read the given reading assignment or else you will have almost no idea what the test it's gonna be about. READ THE TEXTBOOK is the only way to get an A in this class. Avoid him if you want no extra readings.
The class would be so much better if it wasn't for the terrible tests. The lectures are fine but the tests are all short answer and so specific that you have to memorize practically every slide otherwise you lose all your points. He is a decent teacher but sucks at making tests.
Professor Minckley is one of the worst professors I have had. Although the class material is not explicitly difficult, the tests sure are. I progressively studied more for his test and only scored less and less points. The textbook is a MUST, he pulls exam questions straight from the textbook without ever mentioning the information during lecture.
Professor Minckley clearly loves biology, but he isn't a fan of teaching. His class is super test heavy, and you have to read the book and study the slides. Most of the material comes straight from the book. It's not impossible to get a good grade, but it takes a lot of time to memorize minutia that aren't super relavent.
minckley is a good professor and a good lecturer. you can tell he is very passionate about his research and biology but his exams are extremely difficult. review sessions and recitations are not super helpful. the class was a big time commitment- textbook readings and rewatching lectures as vocab was very heavy. switch to 113 if you can.
If u read the text book chapters he assigns & actually understand them...YOU WILL BE FINE!!!:) I did this for all 4 tests & felt very prepared with the material. Day before the exam do as many of the practice tests as u can. Format never changes & some questions will be the same if u are lucky. Bob is a kind man, he just seems a little over it.
One of the worst professors I have ever had. Dr. Minckley is absolutely atrocious at giving lectures, and sometimes wouldn't even explain slides and make us "figure it out". Exams were extremely hard - best bet is to memorize everything he says, and every figure he gives you. I will say, he would be a hilarious guy if he didn't teach BIO111.
He's a smart guy but an awful professor/person. Makes you feel dumb if you ask a question, even in office hours. The lectures are monotonous but make sure you don't miss anything because he can and will test on some obscure detail. Take advantage of the PhD study groups to do well and be happy that at least labs are easy unless you get a bad TA
I'm a commuter student and on days I had lecture with Minckley I drove without a seatbelt and hoped I got into a crash on the way to campus
Personally loved his lectures and sense of humor. Attendance isn't mandatory, but would definitely recommend going to lectures as he will test on random facts he said in class. I found the tests somewhat difficult and felt we could've been better prepared at times, but overall they were manageable (do the readings!!!).
Tough course. But worthwhile.
Not the worst intro professor for the poor souls at this school who have to take bio and chem (looking at you, chem 132 teachers), and I've never wished harm on a professor before, but every night before a bio test I would pray for Bob to break his leg suddenly and postpone it.
Prof. Minckley is funny, but that doesn't cut it. I studied, did practice exams, read the book, memorized a ton, and still failed tests. I attended every lecture except one. This class is difficult, and I felt the questions asked on the test were obscure and possibly irrelevant to the subject matter.
Taking this class made me miss Prof. Clark even more. Minckley is a humorous guy but his lectures truly are unhelpful. He speaks at the speed of a turtle and he jumps topics when lecturing which was quite infuriating. His exams are so hard for no reason and the TAs grade it very harshly. Expectations for an A is very high so prepare yourself.
I don't think Minckley is terrible, but he definitely is not good. The biggest issue is his exams. They do not test on how well you know the main ideas of the course. Instead, he picks out minute details that he has barely mentioned to test on. The best tip I can give is to rewatch every lecture to make sure you're not missing anything.
bob is a pretty funny guy. interesting class and engaging teacher. tests are the issue though. they make up your entire grade and they're so hard for what. they nitpick on little details he name dropped once and you have to know everything about it. there's honestly no right way to study for this class. just memorize everything and pray.
Bob is not a bad at giving lectures, he's just a bad at making exams, which are unfortunately what most of the class is based on. His lectures are funny and he gives a lot of exam practice. The biggest problem I had with him was that his exams were so specific and sometimes he never discussed the topics in depth. Overall, he's a decent guy.
Stressed me out and needs a lot of memorization, but material and lecture is interesting. Exams are tough but I disagree that they were unreasonable though curve is small. I rewatched every lecture (understand big picture, know details and definitions + practice exams). I like him, but he seems tired and would be better in a small class situation.
He's pretty funny, but I've never seen a professor give a more disorganized lecture in my life. The exams are based on Bob's fun fact of the day, and not the general concepts. He teaches a topic that is quite intuitive as if it's rocket science. I have to retrieve knowledge from high school bio to answer test questions. Pretty trash.
This class was wayyy too difficult for an introductory level course. From what I've heard Minckley is very condescending and rude to students, but i haven't personally interacted with the man (out of fear). Put in lots of work for the exam. Material learned in the class and, especially, lab is kinda useless. Get yourself a good TA and Rec Leader!
Bob is a funny man, and the lectures are not that difficult, but the tests sure are. Try to do every practice exam he gives because the questions in the real exam may come from the previous ones directly. He gives decent curves, so the course is not totally devastating. To save your time, it's better to watch lectures online instead of attending.
Prof Minckley provides interesting lectures and is very skilled in his teachings. However, there is so much content in each lecture that it is hard to study for exams bc he can and will literally put anything on his exams. Try your best to learn the content and take good notes during lecture. It is surprising how hard his exams are.
Bio 111 is definitely one of the hardest courses I have taken, however, it is not as bad if you rewatch all of his lectures before his midterms and solve all the practice exams. It will definitely help a lot. DON'T BUY THE TEXTBOOK. You don't need it and it's a waste of money. Might be helpful for vocabulary once in a while.
The material isn't inherently problematic, instead the innumerable minute details you're expected to recall in detail are what will sink you. Lectures were underwhelming and the material is largely without value in any other context. Unfortunately, this is a common pre-req, but if you have the option, I would strongly recommend against taking this.
I loved the material and Bob's humor. I hated the impossible exams, the grading, and the grading scheme. While the content was interesting, I literally had a breakdown every week about this class. You can do well if you rewatch all the lectures before the exams, take very detailed notes, and do the practice exams.
Overall a below average professor. Minckley mentions the textbook but I personally found it unhelpful. The content is disorganized and his teaching is okay at best. To succeed, I recommend focusing on brute force memorization and getting the "easy" points (lab, recitations).
This class is extremely difficult. Always study a week in advance and make sure to redo all of your notes leading up to the exam. Sometimes he reuses questions from practice tests, so make sure you do all of those. If you google the questions you might find quizlets from past years which helps. This class is hard but not impossible, you got this!
Although Minckley is a funny guy, the questions on his exams do not reflect the content taught in his disorganized lectures. I almost had to withdraw because I thought I would bomb his class. For the first-years who have to take his class, DO NOT BUY THE TEXTBOOK and NEARLY ALL OF THE ANSWERS TO ALL OF HIS PRACTICE TESTS ARE ON QUIZLET!
Attend every single lecture. He tests people off what he says in class, not what is on the slides. The lecture slides are very picture heavy and don't give much textual information. Always asks for regrades. He is a harsh grader overall. This might be your most unsupportive class, so study for this course using tutors and study groups.
One of the sweetest professors I've had and I loved his sense of humor. If you stay on top of things and make flashcards for things you have a hard time remembering, you'll do fine. Also, read the textbook, it definitely helped with my score on exams.
Professor Minckley was a very funny, passionate professor about bees. Not about BIOL 111 tho. He does not test you on what are on the slides rather than what he says in class. It is pretty much like he chooses his questions out of random and it can even come from a lab paper despite the TA telling you it will not be on the exam. Beware.
Please do not ever EVER take this class
terrible terrible. he sounds half asleep in his lectures. sounds very bored.lecture slides are terrible, just have names and pics of species with no explanations. So you have to google to learn. Workshops are terrible nothing learnt. Exams are v. hard with a v. strict rubric.blackboard page is empty and unhelpful. highly recommend in not taking him
He is real
screw him
he is not good, cant teach
I would give a 0 if I could. Lectures are all pictures with no useful information whatsoever, he only talks about his bees, and the workshops are no help.
Minckley is the most egregious professor I have ever seen. A huge downgrade from Clark. He's a god awful lecturer who you can obviously tell he doesn't want to be here. He's passive aggressive as well to students when they dont respond to questions (because nobody understands). Finally, he's a god awful exam designer, with esoteric questions.
Silly guy, even funnier grading system. Some say he is misunderstood, but I doubt it. He tests you on things he only mentions once in class and is very specific on what he wants you to write on the exams.Highly recommend rewatching lectures because I learned more through the recordings than showing up to class
doesn't provide clear expectations for course. butt.
Horrible instructor with chaotic lessons and terribly written exams whose key is simply paragraphs that the TAs get to interpret however they choose which leads to grading inconsistencies. Minckley is a funny guy but is a terrible professor. Bring Clark back, please.
To put it shortly, I'd change my major to avoid his class again.
this class is hard. HARD. I studied really hard for all the exam only for my score to get progressively worse. Grading is super inconsistent.
As someone who loves biology, he nearly killed my will to want to stay a bio major. His lectures were incredibly boring and he would emphasize us to study the main points, just to test us on things that he mentioned for one minute during one random Wednesday morning lecture. Do not recommend, but you will survive if you work with others a lot.
avoid
AVOID this course if possible. ur expected to memorize everything bob says, but tested on just a random fraction of the material. bob's funny, but not the best prof. tips if you have to take the class: - read the textbook - (idc what your ta says, read it.) - join bob's graduate tutoring sessions early - go to lecture + rewatch on 2x speed gl
Most condescending and rudest prof ever. Won't help you succeed, rather will blame you without giving constructive advice if you get bad grades. Grading was super inconsistent, unnecessarily causing much anxiety. Spent most of my time on this class, much more than my other classes, and still barely passed. Switched my major because of this class.
I studied hard for this course and got a C. All other three friends took this course with me chose to S/F this course.
Taking this course as an upperclassman, with a 3.8 GPA, was incredibly humbling. I have taken other hard classes at the U of R but never have I taken a course where getting an A is barely achievable. The only person I know to have received an A had to challenge Minckley. The TAs also grade weekly quizzes differently. AVOID!
horrific-one exam was so bad i had a mental breakdown in his office mid exam
oh god why did i take this class
This class was by far the hardest I took freshman year. I ended up getting an A, but my first test was a 68 and I had to work really hard to improve. This class is by no definition easy, but Dr. Minckley, though he may get frustrated at times, does go out of his way to help people clearly struggling. Take advantage of every resource he offers, GL
So hard and nitpicky
Tough course, but engaging lectures. Read the textbook, use study tools like unstuckstudy, and work with classmates - you'll survive this challenging, yet rewarding class.
A really tough class with a lot of papers, but super worth while if you are at all interested in ecology or evolution
In interesting class about ecology and ecosystems. Half the semester is student lead lectures which is interesting
You will be fine if you go to class and take notes. He's not a great professor (slow and boring), but I wouldn't say the class is that hard. I recommend reorganizing your notes after each lecture though, since his slides are disorganized. TAs grade the recitation quizzes and exams inconsistently.
Please take bio 2 in a community college/other college. You will thank me later. By far, the WORST professor I've had.
avoid his classes at all cost. he is truly an awful professor. his exams focus on the most obscure random things that he casually said in class.
Awful professor!! Emphasizes focus on major topics during lectures, then goes on to test on the most obscure topic he talked about for not even 30 seconds. I genuinely have never had as much anxiety in my life. Terrible grader with huge inconsistencies from TAs, and no option for extra credit or grade booster.
Minckley made me debate if I should drop a bio related major altogether. The exams are 80% of your grade and they are by far the worst exams I have ever taken. He'll ask questions on topics that are only passed over in class. Do yourself a favor and take this class somewhere else
literally could not finish this course and am taking it over the summer with a diff prof. Hated this class. 80% is exams, then the other is lab and recitation quizzes. asks the most obscure stuff.
he takes easy content and makes the tests ridiculous. that said his lectures are funny and they are recorded. he's super grumpy all the time. no hw! only one lab report! that said its a point based system and you can't lose many points and still get an A definitely go to his office hours they are really funny
I personally think that the other reviews for Bob are a bit dramatic- if you put in the work you will do well. If wasn't until I started revising my notes daily that I saw my test grade on the first one (60%) jump to around 85%. Bob is very caring, great to his TAs also
Had to S/F this class because of how tough it is. He's passionate about his research, but not a great teacher. His lectures aren't heavy with content, barely any words, but he gives the worst tests, and his grading criteria is horrible. Test-heavy with few points on workshops or labs, better take this CC class.
His exams are actually wild and very hard, I recommend studying a week in advance if not more. He gives readings for lab and workshop and you do have quizzes on the readings in lab and workshop too. His lecture slides only have pictures and he just spews info like crazy. If you can avoid him, do it, for your own sanity. He will HUMBLE you.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
38%
Textbook Required
25%
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B+
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