2.8
Quality3.8
Difficulty100%
Would Retake98
Reviews100%
Would Retake
98
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
22
4
20
3
9
2
25
1
22
What Students Say
“I don't see what the fuss is about”
BIO111 - 4.0 rating“took principles of biology 1 and 2 with her”
111 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
26%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.34 avg changeRatings by Course
3100112001
5.0
(1)BIO800
5.0
(1)PRINC112
5.0
(1)PRIN112
5.0
(1)BIOI
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
111
5.0
AP004
5.0
PHYS001
5.0
BIO2
5.0
BIO1AND2
5.0
Reviews (98)
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Horrible Teacher. She doesn't care about your grade, she just reads you the powerpoints, and then leaves. GOOD LUCK!
I thought she was a great teacher, had a great personality. She tells you exactly what to study for her tests and even posts practice ones online. She reads off power points but tries to make it interesting.
I personaly really enjoy her lectures. She may read the powerpoints, but I still really enjoy her lectures. I will also be taking a second course with her next semsester
I had Dr. Carlson a few semesters prior to fall semester. I was so impressed with her knowledge and style of teaching that I had to rate her. If you cant do well in her class you may as well not go to school. I just found out about this website and could not pass up the opportunity to rate her. Thanks, Dr. Carlson
Dr. Carlson is a great professor, she is funny in her own way. She gives practice tests for all of the exams and has extra credit at the end of the semester.
not a bad teacher, not too many surprises. dont study directly off the practice tests, and dont read the book word for word. look at her powerpoint, and read the details from there. READ the picture descriptions too, they come in handy.
I had the joy of taking Dr. Carlson for principles of bio 1& 2. I can honestly say she is my favorite teacher. she is incredibly helpful, and very funny/sarcastic in her own way. if you don't pay attention YOU WILL THINK SHE'S BORING! she's charming and just an all around awesome teacher. ALSO! do NOT be afraid to go to her office to speak w/ her!
I really liked this class, even though it was at 7:45 in the morning. Go to every class and pay attention and you'll get the clicker questions easily. Also, if you have good attendance you get a HUGE bonus at the end of the semester, I got 30 points extra I think. For the final, study the previous tests you took and it will be EASY!
Easy. Pay attention. I studied the night before every exam and ended up with a 99 in the class.
Sara Carlson was a great teacher. She posts all her power points on springboard and makes up practice tests that she posts as well. She offers tons of extra credit on the tests and she tells you ahead of time what topics the extra credit covers so it's really easy to get an A.
Princ Bio II. Asks questions about the most minute things instead of getting at the big picture. lectures are unbearable including long pauses while she stares blankly at the screen deciding what to say next. I started to do well after reading book in class instead of listening to her. Attend only for clicker points even these ? are ridiculous
Very friendly and helpful. Had her for Bio 1 and 2. encorages you to go to office hours. Read the power points, they help on tests.
Had her for Prin Bio II. I went to every single class, took notes, read the textbook, still thought the tests were awful. She picked the most random ideas to put on the test, not what seemed important...I wouldn't take her again..
Dr. Carlson is very personable and helpful. Has a great sense of humor and explains topics well. Go to her for advising as well. Tests are difficult, but she stresses what you need in future classes. GO TO CLASS FOR CLICKER POINTS! Read the book and make sure you understand concepts and you will do well. Finals are to separate the A students.
Prin II. She is one of the worst Biology professors at UA. If you're not a biology major, she won't doesn't like you (esp if you're an engineer). She reads directly off of her lecture slides that she posts and can't answer questions. She also puts the most minute questions on her exams...If you want to understand read your book. She's useless.
WORST TEACHER EVER! no extra grades besides tests, encourages everyone to drop if your doig badly. Posts on springboard to not email her asking how to help your grade, basically, she does not care about students and the lectures are the biggest waste of time, she ruined my gpa
Only reads from her notes, and explains things in a way in which you cannot retain anything. Will act like she wants to help you, but won't give you any options other than exams. Nice person, TERRIBLE prof. If you're taking Human Phys, I hate to say but she's your only choice...
She is a horrible teacher with zero social skills. I took into to anatomy which is my major and got a C...Prepare to read the book and teach yourself. Take someone else if at all possible.
if you bust your but and study the information the class isn't that hard I ended up with an A
She is NOT HELPFUL. read the book, and you'll be fine. exam questions are very detailed. worst science professor i've ever had.
She knows her stuff, but this class is HARD. She is not very helpful. You somewhat have to teach yourself the material. She DOES offer a few bonus points on each exam, which is helpful. I would try to take someone else, if possible.
She's a very nice lady. If you ask her a question or come in to ask for clarification about something, she'll always try to help you out. She got pizza for the class on the last day, and was always friendly. She also made lectures semi-interesting. Don't expect to learn that much from lecture though. Also tests are very hard.
She is an okay teacher, but be ready to use the book and use the learn smart modules from connect to help you study for test.
Multiple components to grade, which is nice. Four test and a final. She gives you multiple opportunities to do well. Don't miss class because there are clicker questions almost everyday. Study the notes for the tests especially bold faced red words and you will do well.
Great professor. Explains things clearly and often offers interesting side information about the topics. She offers many bonus opportunities throughout the course which is very nice. Also Multiple choice tests were only ABC. Good sense of humor, easy to pay attention, would highly recommend.
Dr. Carlson was the worst professor I ever had. She told us on the 1st day to never email her asking how to help our grade. She takes clicker questions way to seriously. I would NEVER EVER recommend her. She's horrible. You teach yourself the material all the time. Might as well take an online class.
Dr. Carlson is awesome. If you actually try and talk to her (instead of just complaining on a website), it's usually a great conversation and you will learn something. Sure, it is necessary to read the textbook, but it shouldn't be that big of a deal to have to work hard to learn something and achieve a good grade.
Dr.Carlson is a challenging professor, she will make you work hard for your grade, I am a pre-med student and I found her class to be very challenging, plan on studying for her class every day, her lectures are online but READ the BOOK, also attendance is monitored through clickers and it is 10% of your final grade make sure you attend and answer
Dr. Carlson is definitely the best professor I have ever had. I am a students with over 150 credit hours. Dr Carlson is the kind of teacher who will enrich your knowledge and given the great responsibilities she has she barely has time for slacking students. If you really wanna learn something I recommend her. If you just wanna pass then don't take
Students at any other university say Bio 101 is an easy-A. Not here. Dr. Carlson makes attendance mandatory via clickers, has in-class clicker questions that you cannot make up if you have any issues, and tests that cover 15+ chapters. If you ask a question during class you receive sarcasm in return. Her notes are all online so lecture is worthless
Worst professor I have ever had. She puts the power points online and then reads them word for word in lecture yet makes lecture mandatory. Tests cover 15+ Chapters at a time. Makes me hate Biology!!!!
MUST read textbook to succeed in her class. Strict, but nice if you go to office hours. Uses online HW for bonus points for final exam. Test questions come from textbook and lecture. If you go to class and read the text, and STUDY, you'll get an A.
Dr. Carlson makes you work hard for your grades. She only covers a "small" amount of information in lecture, so you'll need to read your textbook. Don't skip lectures because she offers random bonus opportunities and asks many clicker questions. She doesn't let you keep your old tests, so make sure to go to office hours to see what you missed.
Tests are very hard!!
Extremely difficult professor. Seems to take pleasure in tricking students and being very "mysterious" about what is covered on tests. Do not take unless you are willing to spend your entire semester on this course.
She was a very hard teacher. She was always sneaky about what she put on tests, and tried to trick you with the questions. She never did any explaining, just read off the powerpoint notes, which you had better have printed off. Read the book three times over and you might do okay.
After 100+ credit hours and a 3.95 GPA, I thought this professor would be alright. I was so wrong. Hardest Biology class I have ever taken! Dr. Carlson told the class last week that she was like the T cell destroying students who were not good enough! She uses clickers so if your 2 minutes late, it comes off your grade. Please reconsider!!
Personally, i liked dr carlson. her tests are ABC and yes attendance is mandatory (with clicker questions). if you read the chapters and go through her online notes you should be just fine. this class does take a lot of studying. she does offer connect as e.c for the final exam and a few bonus opportunities here & there.
Expect to put a lot of time into studying for this class. Test questions are ABC but they are still very tricky and cover small details in the textbook! Students who do very well in the class usually don't have jobs or have much else to do besides study, so if you are taking this class and are very busy use your time wisely or you won't do well.
Avoid at all costs. Doesnt explain anything. Her test questions are the little tiny details in the book that she never discusses in class. Awful Awful Awful. Destroyed my GPA.
Her tests are annoyingly random and detailed. She only teaches from powerpoint which is boring. Worst professor I've had at Akron. Some students think she may be a witch or a hippie.
Makes biology harder than it needs to be. All she does is read off of her power point which comes straight from the book, I was unable to benefit from lecture. Pauses after every word and is mono tone,which makes it difficult to stay interested. She is also very rude to her students. Tests are only ABC but are incredibly difficult.Avoid at all cost
Terrible Professor. Very specific exams on topics that she barely mentions in class. Very boring classes, just stands and reads the power point. She is even kind of mean during lectures. Makes Biology very difficult
I would NEVER recommend this woman to my worst enemy. Her tests are full of too much information. The class seems rushed for it to be in into-specific class. She's monotone, and doesn't seem interested in her teaching. For me to be self-disciplined, My 3.8 GPA doesn't reflect the grade I have in this class. Avoid if possible.
Stay Away or be prepared to have this class become a full time job. Absolutely too in depth on test material. Practically u have to learn the entire chapter word for word. Monotone. After 74+ hours and a 4.0 gpa i thought class would be a breeze. Nope. my grade right now is going to punish my gpa
One of the hardest classes I have ever took. You must know every small detail in the book.
Worst teacher ever. Does NO teaching. Just reads sentences off of slides. She turned the class into an advanced genetics course. Wasn't tested once on anything about the organelles of the cell (which every bio I class should include). She turned this freshman level class into a graduate student level class. Class test avg. was always below passing.
Awful prof. Basically just stood in front of the class reading powerpoints and yelling at people for really weird reasons. The tests were always about really obscure things we barely touched on.
This class was a waste of time. The professor read directly from a Powerpoint the entire time and seemed to talk in a disinterested monotone. I stopped attending lecture completely after week 8 of the 16 week course, showing up only on test days. You can pass with an A just by memorizing the online HW because 80% of test material comes from there.
The worst teacher. She is monotone, reads from a powerpoint, which is just a condensed version of the book which is mandatory to read reread and probably read again to do well. I found myself spending 6 hours a week reading for this class. I learned nothing, which is a shame for an intro to bio course. If you are a premed stud. you might do well.
YOU MUST READ THE BOOK RELIGIOUSLY. I spent a minimum of 25 hours a week reading the text, and even more for test weeks. In lecture, she's not too interesting, but if you go to her office hours and talk to her she's a very nice person and kind of funny! Going to lecture is a good idea because she gives little words and clues that might be on tests
I really like Prof. Carlson. The topics may be boring, but the way she teaches is right from the book. She is always very helpful during office hours. The tests are just like the online homework, too, so I always felt prepared. She makes you work for that A!
Please avoid this teacher at all costs She is by far the worst teacher I have ever had in my academic career. She is boring, unhelpful, and her tests are all about useless lil details tht do nothing to help you actually learn about bio. u kno a prof is bad when u find urself learning how to pass the class rather than actually learning the material.
I don't know why everyone thinks her tests are difficult, I thought they were very easy considering they were all multiple choice and there were only three options. She is such a nice person and really wants you to do well, but she can tell if you are not willing to make an effort and will most likely exploit that. Plus, theres tons of extra credit
Tests were all multiple choice and questions straight from the book. Definitely one of the easier bio classes I've taken.
Not a very difficult class. Read the book, do the LearningCurves, and go to office hours. The usual. GO TO CLASS!!! She takes attendance and often puts questions on exams that are only from lecture. Adds interesting medical side facts so if you are a pre-med it should be pretty interesting. Not too hard to get an A just work for it.
THE WORST TEACHER EVER. AVOID HER
I don't see what the fuss is about. She is not a hard teacher. If you are serious about going to graduate school this class should not be that hard for you. All the tests are ABC (3 answer choices) and are easy if you know the material
Had this teacher for Bio 1 and 2 and attended class every day/ took notes. Very boring teacher. She is very specific when asking questions. Tests are basically straight out of the book. You don't really need to come to class because she just reads the book to the class but it can help those who are struggling. Not the worst teacher or the best
I had her for A&P I Super easy class if you show up and study. Her tests are also very straight forward. If you study you do well. Highly recommended.
took principles of biology 1 and 2 with her. She didn't interact with us, she would come in and start lecturing without even saying good morning. Her lectures consist of her talking non stop. Her power points are not helpful you can't study from them. Her tests are SO detailed, she asks about every detail in the book.
Her tests are difficult and she doesn't teach anything. Get ready to read your textbook.
Her lectures are long and very boring. Get ready to read the book and basically teach yourself. Sure her test are ABC but they are so in depth it's not even fare.
Dr. Carlson is one of those professors who is really likedlovedhated depending on who you ask. Show up, pay attention to what she's saying and not the slides, and be ready to study the textbook: you'll be fine (and there's a LA available for the class if you're not doing fine!)
She's not going to hold your hand and make this easy. This is a weed out class. Without the proper study skills, there's no guarantee you'll pass. In in lectures she's easy to understand as long as you don't let the boring tonecontent distract you. I learned a lot, but didn't read as much as I should have. DO ALLTHE BONUS WORK! It saves your grade
worst professor i've ever had
Not very much of the information on tests is covered in lecture. Be prepared to teach yourself. Had to adjust my study methods to pass this class.
For Bio 1 lecture, relatively easy exams. Paying attention in class and reading the book should result in an A.
Anatomy is hard but Dr. Carlson makes it bearable. Tests are very straight forward; all multiple choice with only 3 choices per question. She offers up to 25 bonus points if you complete all online quizzes. You do have to put in time outside of class reading note taking but if you do this and attend lecture- you will do fine.
You seriously have to memorize AND understand everything in the book AND what she says in lectures (which isn't a lot). You don't have to go to class because she just reads straight from the book and her power points (which are all online) but her power points are mostly pictures so it's not like you can actually study from them.
Not gonna lie the class can be pretty tough & there is a LOT to memorize, but as long as you come to lectures or read the book & do the sapling questions you should be fine. test questions are almost all from sapling so make sure you study those as best you can. Dr. Carlson can seem intimidating in class but outside she's friendly & happy to help!
She flies through the chapter at unreal speeds and class notes are hardly ever helpful. Tests are straight out of the book, so read the chapters and the class is easy enough. Going to class is not necessary at all because all of her notes are in the book and she skips so much material anyway. Pretty bad teacher, class is easy if you do the work.
Dr. Carlson is a very nice professor. I have not gone to class once and simply read each chapter and focus on the diagrams and I have Aced each exam so if you read the book, focus on definitions & pictures you will be fine. The chapters are short. Again, focus on the pictures in the textbook and the story it's telling you.
Dr. Carlson is an amazing professor who excels at making difficult material (relatively) easy to understand. Her notes are excellent, but you have to attend lecture in order to know which areas to focus on for tests. A&P is a difficult course due to the sheer volume of material, but Dr. Carlson is not the reason the course is challenging.
Dr. Carlson is one of my favorite professors I have had. With that said, she does make you work for a good grade. You need to go to class because tells you what won't be asked about on the test and she expands a lot on the slides. Do the WileyPlus quizzes for bonus, read the book, and again, show up for class. Would definitely recommend.
There is a lot of reading but the tests aren't too bad as long as you read and review. The tests are fair, multiple choice and only have A, B, or C. She's super helpful during her office hours and is not at all intimidating! I'm taking her for as many courses as I can! I definitely recommend Dr. Carlson!
Carlson makes it as easy to understand as possible. Anatomy is difficult but as long as you put the effort in you should be able to do decent. Read everything, even twice. Go to lectures and take your notes and study hard. She gives you everything you need as long as you pay close attention.
Toughest teacher I have ever had. Not only did she FLY through material, she explained things very poorly and expected you to teach yourself everything ("she is a lecturer not a teacher"). Pwrpts were just pictures from the book. Her tests were extremely detailed and impossible unless you memorized every detail mentioned in bookclass
I loved biology until I took her class. She is the worst professor I have ever had. All she does is read slides and barely explains and expects you to ace every test. Not clear at all and does not teach anything, only reads. Basically you have to teach yourself everything in order to get a good grade on an exam because she cannot teach.
Sara Carlson was a very rude professor. She made fun of students during class for their note taking, and on top of that the test were terrible. Only options A-C on test which seems easy, but makes it difficult. Her test are basically trivia. Her slides are pictures out of the book, I taught myself the entire time. Worst professor I have ever had.
Lectures are difficult to follow sometimes and tests are tough. Assigns online homework which is easy, make sure to do the optional quizzes these questions are often on the test. On the bright side tests are all multiple choice with answer choices A,B, or C. Study well for the tests!!!!!
Lectures and material will seem easy, but her exams are extremely difficult. The questions are so unrealistically specific. Most of the class does bad on the exams and she is not clear when teaching. You will pass by basically memorizing the textbook front and back. If you have her, run. Run far, far away.
I personally would never take her again for anything. The only grades in the class are tests which are way too specific to remember the material. She offers office hours but when I went to one, all she told me to do is read the book. I took good notes, went to class, but to no avail. So, I do not recommend her.
Carlson is very set in her ways. Her class isn't easy and most people feel she shouldn't teach PRIN1. Honestly though, you can get an A if you read the book and study the keywords. Her tests usually require you to remember specific details, but the multiple choice is only 3 answers. All in all, she isn't easy, but she isn't impossible.
No matter how good your notes were or how much you read the book, the test material was too specific to ever know it all.
I'm normally pretty decent in science classes, but after taking Dr. Carlson - I've gotten such horrible grades on her tests because they're so unrealistically specific that I'm going to leave her class with a low C and I've never gotten anything lower than a B+ before. AVOID TAKING HER.
There is a lot of material covered but she makes it as interesting as possible. Tests are fair, I hardly read the book and used notes from class. Attending class and writing down what she says is basically the only way to pass. Overall, a good professor and anatomy class. I was more pleased with her than my friends were with the other professors.
Bring your book and take notes in it for lectures. Don't ask for help or clarification of material: you won't get it. The tests are RIDICULOUSLY specific-memorize the book word for word. Her "BONUS topics" are part of the test (and not always bonus) so do them. Lectures are pointless. "Out of class learning", more like Out of class class. Good luck
I was a biology major until I had Dr. Carlson. I highly recommend avoiding her at all costs. Her powerpoints are just pictures from the book and she consistently goes off on a tangent.
I was a biology major and then I took this class and realized how challenging it was. Carlson's notes are just pictures that make no sense and she speeds through the lectures. I had to read and outline every chapter to understand anything. Notes and lectures very unclear. Really have to take time to do well in this class. Book/reading is Necessary
She's one of the worst professors I have ever had. Nothing is clear. You can print out all of her notes for class and have them ready but you still add so much and she talks so fast you don't even know what you're writing half the time.
Very hard and not worth taking her as a professor
Wish I could take her class again!
Very willing to help during office hours, and offers extra hours for students who need it. Clearly enjoys teaching students.
I had to take Carlson for both the principles of biology. Each test was over 8 chapters- in lecture she quickly over the chapters omitting so much information I didn't know what to expect on the test. Also the book went into too much detail about everything. I hated this class, I advise seeing if there's another professor teaching it
Absolutely fantastic Professor. She had a smile on her face every day of class. It's obvious that she cares about her students and is passionate about the material. I never liked science until she managed to make it interesting to me. I assumed it was going to be my worst class of the semester, it was my favorite. Her retiring is a big loss.
There have been numerous times in clinicals where I realized how grateful I am to have had Dr Carlson for A&P 1 and 2. The classes are tough, and the tests aren't easy but if you learn as much as you can now, nursing fundamentals will be a lot easier for you. She's a great professor, quirky sense of humor, enjoyed her lectures.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
26%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.34 avg changeRatings by Course
3100112001
5.0
(1)BIO800
5.0
(1)PRINC112
5.0
(1)PRIN112
5.0
(1)BIOI
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
111
5.0
AP004
5.0
PHYS001
5.0
BIO2
5.0
BIO1AND2
5.0