Originally posted a lower rating, but after he received some feedback from the students after the 2nd test, he did change how his class was structured. Gave us slightly easier test questions on the 3rd test (20% higher average), recitation was more geared to helping review concepts, and I think that he did use the feedback he was given.

It is absolutely necessary to read the book or you will not do well. However, if you do and make sure to put the time in on homework and in class, this class is not bad. Wish he would let us see what we got wrong on tests, but he allows for some points back and the final is optional if you're okay with your current exam score. Solid choice.

Dr. Carroll is honestly the most fun professor I've had. His ecology background shows, so if you prefer the more ecological side of bio, I'd recommend him. Exams are extremely difficult, but his grading allows for it as you get to drop one. Easy C+/B-, even if you fail exams. Just go to class and you're set. Don't let the bad reviews scare ya!

I think its his first year teaching the course. Tests have a very low average but he does give some points back and you get a drop. Honestly not a bad teacher but you might need to listen to lectures again even if you were present in addition to reading the textbook. I wouldnt recommend taking this class in the first semester of freshman year.

A lot of bad ratings are because his classes are difficult, but he does definitely care about students learning to think for themselves instead of just memorizing for a grade. He's cool but he's new so there's some disconnect. I'm sure his classes will get easier down the line. He definitely teaches so you learn, not so you can memorize and recite.

He is good at teaching ecology but not so much at cell processes which is the earlier stuff in the class. And because of this, the first two of six exams are irritating. He makes you work for a good grade but it gets easier. His exams were 44%, homework 23%, recitation 23% and top hat 10%. Definitely saved my grade but you still gotta study hard

His tests are really difficult, class average is F-D, but there are a LOT of ways to get those points back. Recitation, once a week homework, top hat, and test retakes (on the most missed 5 questions). His lectures are engaging and he is always available to talk outside of class. He is pretty reasonable. Its hard, but its supposed to be

Textbooks were useful for the first half of the semester. Once you get into ecology, paying attention to what Dr. Carroll says during lecture is super important, since that's mostly where he draws his info for exams. Super accessible outside of class, the only drawback is you don't get exams back, but he'll answer questions abt exams in office hrs.

Dr. Carroll is passionate about his job and gives interesting lectures. The exams are difficult, but not terrible, and there are a lot of different opportunities to make the points back. He is organized and accessible.

For ecology, you should download lectures and annotate them as he talks. If you write down the examples he gives in class and memorize/understand how those examples relate to the concepts, you'll do just fine. Use the book to supplement if you are confused about something. Definitely put effort into the LAs and papers.

Dr. C is so sweet and helpful! His office hours are incredibly useful and he will take the time to teach you a concept in different ways if you do not understand it. His tests only ask questions from the lectures, which he records, for our future use. He really appreciates and incorporates student feedback into his classes so he can help us more.

I really enjoyed this class and found the lectures to be extremely helpful. IMO the textbook was too detail oriented and Dr. Carroll didn't go extremely in depth like the book so it was good. He is also really sweet and explains things v well. I'd take his class again anytime.

Dr. Carroll is an awesome professor. He is an ecologist which was obvious and somewhat annoying because he kept talking about it and circling back to it during the microbio portion of bio 2. The tests are hard but only worth 30% of your grade so its easy to do well with a bad score. Overall really fun lectures and a nice guy!

I genuinely believe that Dr. C is a good professor. His exam questions are application style, but the TAs make weekly study guides with practice problems. Group work was nice because it boosted exam scores by a lot! He is such a kind, funny guy. Genuinely cares for students. He made exams worth the same as homework + he drops lowest in categories.

Dr. Carroll is a phenomenal teacher. He is so passionate about biology and ecology it made the lectures fun and entertaining. In the recitations, he will put you into groups, making some of the class dependent on how good your group is. The tests are on the harder side, but if you do the weekly homeworks it averages out your grade.

Dr. Carroll was a great lecturer with an awesome grading scale. Exams were worth 30% of your grade, making your grade mostly dependent on homework and recitation. He really cares about his students and is a great guy!

Everything in lectures and recitations were fair game for each exam, and he tended to put lots of review questions from prior chapters on exams. He drops your lowest score in each grading category, and homework and recitation are practically equal in weight. Final exam determined -/nothing/+ in class. Put in best effort, study, and trust process.

Dr. Carroll is a great professor. 30% of your grade is based on exams; the rest comes from class participation, homework, and recitation assignments. He emphasized group work which was helpful because you can get to know other students better. He is a very nice guy and accessible outside of class. Exams are hard but you will do well if you study.

Tests based only on lecture. There were 5 tests and they each had a group portion. He asked for feedback and took it to heart. There was homework every week that may or may not be group work, and there was also recitation work with your group every week. The lectures were pretty interesting, and he made an effort to reexplain complicated concepts.

I loved Carroll. His grading criteria is very clear and lenient (HW is worth as much as the exams). There are 5 exams and you get to drop 1, as well as ur lowest recitation and HW. He made class interesting and hes a cool guy. Recitation is all group work which I enjoyed. The final only determines a + or - on your grade so it wasn't too stressful.

I really liked Dr. Carroll - he tried to make lectures engaging and entertaining and was very nice. Tests are tricky but don't count for much (you can do bad on almost all and still have a good grade). You can also drop lowest test, recitation, and homework grades. He uses TopHat during every lecture so missing class will lose you points

Cares greatly about the subject and is passionate, is open to questions and can help explain things clearly during office hours. Tests can be a bit difficult, but doable if you pay attention. Keep up to date with recitation and homework assignments, they boost your grade. You can drop a test and a homework + have buffer points for participation.

I liked the way Professor Caroll taught the course. In each grading section, you could drop your lowest score and tests and homework were weighted the same for your final grade. Recitation assignments were usually group based but were a grade boost. The final only affects the + or - on your letter grade. Overall would recommend him!

Great professor! Clearly very passionate about biology. Most assignments are group work. Difficult Exams.

Prof Carroll was clearly very passionate about what we were learning and that made it easier to pay attention in class. Tests are hard but manageable if you study and go over the lectures. Emphasis on group work. He was very willing to change aspects of the course in response to student feedback.

He is a great professor, as he truly cares about what he is teaching. However, lectures can be a bit boring, and there is mandatory group work. The homeworks and recitations aren't too challenging, but there are a good amount of exams so that's annoying. But, not too challenging of a class, so long as you study a bit for the exams.

Dr C is very approachable for feedback and his lectures were really engaging. His comments were very helpful in improving writing. Very reasonable grading criteria. Highly recommend

dr caroll's ecology class is easy as long as you pay attention to the lectures. there are enough supplementary assignments that will boost your grade if you do not do well on an exam. definitely take if you need a gpa boost

I highly recommend taking for Bio 2. Dr. Carrolls class is set up so fair. Exams end up only being 33% percent of your grade so if you aren't doing well on the exams but doing well on other sections you aren't going to fail the class. TONSSSSSSS of group work and lots of homework. Tied in activities to keep is engaged. I would take him if you can.

100% recommend Rory! He really wants you to do well & it shows. Homework is weighted just as much as your exams which really helps your grade. The final is 10 questions and determines if you receive a +/- or keep your letter grade. LOTS of group work!!!!! You also take a 10 question group exam every recitation before the exam! Just put in effort!!!

Rory Carroll favourite biology professor! Initially I was not a big fan of his teaching style, but going to office hours was such a game changer. He really wants students to do well and it shows. The final was super low stakes because it only decides +/- for the course. He also makes lectures super engaging. High recommend for BIOSC 0160

Carroll is a great choice for Bio 2 in my opinion. The tests are TOUGH, but in the end the group work matters more than the tests. The grade weighting that he uses is amazing. Overall I really enjoyed the class - solid choice.

rory is a great guy but assigns way too much and makes the wording of his exam questions more confusing than they need to be. he offers a lot of extra credit which is nice. if you put in effort for this class you will be fine

Dr C rules, he truly loves what he teaches.His lectures are awesome-but be prepared to pay attention. His exams only include things covered in lecture (and he records them!). Exams aren't weighted heavy, and you get to drop 1. dont be scared away by the first couple exams- they are the hardest. Dr C genuinely wants his students to succeed-take him!

He's a really chill guy and only wants the best for his students. Exams were difficult but you could drop the lowest with 5 total exams and a final. Exams had a group portion that was taken during recitation with groupmates. The final is +/-. If you put in the work you can do well in his class. A lot of opportunities to get your grade up.

A great guy with a true love for science, but his exams are the hardest thing ever, be glad they aren't worth that much. worst part of class was amount of group work given, but not horrible. Dr. C truly wants his students to succeed and it shows, but his exams will have you on the brink of death. if you're not ready to study heavy, avoid.

My fav prof so far. While his tests are rly hard, he gives so many other assignments, so exams won't tank your grade if you do the hw. Like really. On the 5 midterms I got a 44-61 but still got a B+ & definitely could've had an A if I wasn't taking it w/ chem. Lot of group work every week and individual hw, basically free points.

Dr. C is really passionate about bio. I am a horrible test taker but did well on hw which is weighted the same so a good grade is not hard to get. Office hours were very helpful. Exams are hard but but other work makes up for it. Gave extra credit too. Take him, but be prepared to do homework and group work.

He had informative lectures that were applied on the exams and he was also a humorous professor. Plus, the recitations were mostly group work.

Prof C catches a lot of flak because of the difficulty of his exams and how frequent they are, but if you attend as many lectures as you can and take good insightful notes the tests are really not that bad. If you are interested in ecology or environmental studies like that, I highly recommend Carroll.

His tests are hard, there's no getting around that, but the weighting means they matter less than you think and there's extra credit at the end. Get perfect scores on ALL of the HW, recitations, and tophats because every point matters and is essentially worth the same as a test point. First 2 tests are crazy hard but the last 3 are free.

He is very passionate about teaching and his content and it is clear he does actually care about this job. His recitations are very helpful and interactive. His exams are very difficult though and I think they could use some work. As long as you do well on the group exams and homework you should be fine though.

I loved Dr.Carroll, I had him for bio 2 as well and let me tell you, hes a LOT better professor for ecology! There are 4 exams, no drops, but there are TONS of ec opportunities, and exams are only 15% each. Lectures are pretty straight forward, and what you'll find on the slides is reflected on the exams clearly. Lectures are also recorded!

I love Dr. C. I failed the first exam, but u get one drop. His tests are application-based, so study hard to connect concepts. Group exams are part of recitation. Go to office hours to review mistakes—those hard questions show up on the final. The final determines (+/-) on ur letter grade. UTA exam reviews help. If u put in the work, u'll do well.

I took Dr. Carroll for Bio 2 and Ecology and I really enjoyed his way of teaching. His tests are difficult but provides so much extra credit. He keeps lectures interesting and I remember what he says because of his passion for ecology and personal stories he shares.

Took him for ecology and he was so great! Very passionate about what he teaches and an easy grader. His slides don't help much with the exams so def pay attention to the lectures and take good notes, but the exams are pretty easy and his UTAs made study guides for all of them that were really helpful. Take Dr. Carrol for ecology!

I really liked Dr. Carroll; he offers a ton of bonus points through surveys and other optional extra credit assignments. The exams are a little difficult but definitely passable + easy to get a good grade on if you study. He sometimes does flipped modules and readings but other than that there's basically no homework. He's awesome.

dr. carroll is the sweetest prof ever!! he's clearly passionate about ecology & explains thoroughly during his lectures which he also records! just pay attention to what he says during lecture apart from the slide content itself bc itll be on the exams. he offers a lot of EC and it was barely any work outside class tbh. best ecology prof!

Dr. C was amazing for Ecology! I also had him for Bio 2, but you can tell he enjoys this so much more and it makes for a way better student experience! He is so knowledgeable about Ecology it is really cool to learn all of this from him. The exams were fair and there was a lot of extra credit that should prevent any major stress about your grade!

Great choice for ecology. Exams were very tough: made content seem more difficult than it was. Also, I overheard him say he doesn't share the exam averages, makes 0 sense. Offset with many bonus points: lecture attendance, surveys, EC assignments. Rory is amazing for offering so much EC/bonus points. Other class assignments are fine.

Love Dr. Carroll! Yes, his tests are difficult but they are weighted the SAME as the homework, and the homework was very manageable, so it is not hard to do well. As long as you get a good recitation group, you'll be fine. Take notes in person, and study a fair amount. Overall great class, would take again.

Exams were brutal for me as a freshman who skipped Bio 1. Unfortunately no curves. However your lowest score gets dropped and the number of homework/recitation assignments balance it out. He emphasizes group work a LOT. Your experience in his class will be very dependent on who you get assigned in your group. Overall I felt like he taught well.

He's a really good guy, made lectures entertaining and he clearly loves what he teaches about. Tests were definitely difficult for me as a freshman who skipped bio 1, but it was manageable since tests are weighted the same as homework. He definitely loves group work, which could be good or bad depending on who you get so good luck.

Definitely not the easiest class, but he is clearly passionate about teaching the subject. His tests are pretty tough but you can still get a good grade in the class if you try on the homework and in recitation. He's really nice and always willing to answer questions during class and in office hours.

The class is pretty difficult but Dr. Carroll is definitely passionate about biology and I was never once bored in lecture. Tests are challenging but the class is still easy to pass as long as you put effort in on homework and in recitation. I only passed 3/5 tests and never got higher than a C on a test but still passed with a B.

Definitely a lot of fun, but the exams are definitely challenging. Study for them more than you think you need to. Still, exams are not super heavily weighted, and your lowest gets dropped. Hope you like group work and hope you get a good group.

I absolutely adore this man. His lectures are so engaging, and carry a lot of small details that tend to show up on exams so study the small stuff! He posts so many resources and fun things that relate to content. GO TO HIS OFFICE HOURS. I cannot stress this enough.

I took Dr. Carol's class and thoroughly enjoyed it. He's a great lecturer and he definitely cares a lot about his students. His tests are more on the difficult side but they're only 33% of your final grade and you have SO many resources (recorded lectures, slides, his office hours, and TA hours).There is some group work so be prepared for that.

Very hard exams didn't pass a single one highest grade was a 16/40 but the exams are worth 33% and homework's are worth 33%. Most homework's are group assignments so if you have a good group you will get a good grade. His final is 10 questions and it only determines if you get a -/+ on your letter grade. Takes attendance on top hat for correctness.

Very difficult but not unreasonably. IMO tests were more so about application of concepts than memorizing jargon. Yes, try to get a good grasp on technical memorization stuff, but more importantly make sure you understand examples from hw and lecture. He absolutely gives all the resources you need to succeed, just take advantage of them.

The GOAT, I love him. Go to lectures and review the textbook before exams. Exams are only 33% of the grade, so do well in all other categories, you can easily average Ds and Cs on exams and get a B or A in the end. The final isn't part of the grade; its 10 questions that determine whether you get a -, nothing, or a + in front of your letter grade.

He was honestly pretty good at teaching in lectures, providing good, real-life examples. IF YOU HATE GROUP WORK, I WOULDN'T TAKE HIM. The recitations with mandatory attendance are initially put into random groups that you are part of for the whole semester. Overall, I would take another class from him due to his caring nature although.

He taught his lessons very clearly (be prepared to take notes, he doesn't put much info on his slides), and has a clear passion for the topics he teaches. The way his finals work is a little weird but it worked in my favor so I can't complain. I loved this man's class, he is very caring and willing to work with you and help you. Highly recommend!!