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Great guy. really animated. keeps you interested all lecture and usually has fun props. exams aren't too bad. read lecture notes and book. def choose him if you can

He's adorable with a great sense of humor. The class is very laid back, you learn a lot without having to stress about exams.

Gilroy is awesome!!! he makes lectures interesting, and genuinely wants everyone to do well. he will go out of his way to help anyone who asks. take him if you can!

Prof. Gilroy is fun and does helpful demos. He doesn't go very in depth with his lectures, so the readings are important. The course itself isn't fun, but he was a pretty good teacher.

LOVE LOVE LOVE this guy!! Best professor I've ever had. Take him if you can! Exams were a little harder than he led them on to be...but if I could go back and take 151, I would choose Gilroy again.

Professor Gilroy is great because his lectures are SO engaging/funny. I actually looked forward to going to them! His exam was kind of tricky though, you definitely do need to read the book, and watch out for the tricky wording (I definitely got lucky on a few). But overall I really enjoyed him, and got an A on his exam. I would take him again!

Gilroy is a very enthusiastic lecturer (he has a British accent). I would definitely recommend taking him for this class. As long as you attend lecture and read the book, you will do well on his exams. The lab component of this course is another story.

Great professeur! He was hilarious and very engaging! The exams were not bad, a little tricky though so you should make sure you understand everything well.

Professor Gilroy is one of the best I've had at Madison. His passion for the subject and sense of humor make lectures very fun and interesting and although the material of the course is sometimes difficult, his teaching style and class organization makes it easy to succeed.

Dr. Gilroy is a fabulous piece of biology! He makes lectures interesting and engaging, and exams are easy. Take him if you can.

Funny guy. Made lecture entertaining. Don't rely too much on the slides online because he does say some things that will be covered without putting much on the slides. His exam is easy to get a B on but some of the tricky questions and wording, it can be easy to miss the words when careless.

Coolest professor I have ever had...Made biology amazing...

Very interesting lecturer, but exams are a little tough if you don't read. Make sure you read the textbook, attend lecture, and don't fall behind. Highly recommend him; he's funny and you can tell he really cares about his students.

Prof. Gilroy was a fabulously entertaining professor. Makes learning fun (though not easier). The exams can be challenging, and require that you have a very full understanding of the concepts. Definitely go to lecture and form study groups. Lab sections are annoying and seem pointless and more about writing than actually learning about the science.

If you want to learn biology by watching performances rather than sitting through lectures, take Simon Gilroy! Exams on his part were fairly easy multiple choice, and the book is useful to help explain concepts when cramming, but dont read it. I mostly searched the internet to help explain dificult concepts. Bio 151 isnt curved though...

Simon is funny. He makes lectures interesting and likes to make jokes. He says the only info you need to know for tests he goes over in lecture. This is misleading. I'm not sure the book would be helpful with paragraph long conceptual questions but he makes the tests seem easier than they are. They are tricky. Otherwise, he's a good guy.

Simon was a lot of fun in lectures and very clear. I got an A with minimal effort, and I never once opened the textbook (not worth buying). Go to lectures because the power points do not have all the information.

Book isn't necessary but attendance is for lecture material not on slides and for I-Clicker participation. Gilroy's easy to learn from and usually amusing throughout the lecture definitely try to take him for 151 if you can

Hard to learn from and is very distracting during lectures. Tricky Tests!

Simon is a good guy. I got a B in his section. Tests are a little harder than other sections, but I would take him again for a worse grade. A B in bio is good and Simon actually makes attending class bearable. Biology department in general is pretty terrible, so its not his fault it is so hard to do well.

Prof. Gilroy may be my favorite professor on campus to date the only downside to this goofy gentleman are his tests which are quite tricky. Simon looks like Dumbledore in a tropical shirt and his lectures are just as entertaining as his attire. Lab work is pretty awful but that isn't his doing

I had him my first semester Freshman year. I absolutely hated biology coming into the class, but his enthusiasm and entertaining presentation style made me enjoy the class.

Loved him. So funny and really knows what he is talking about. Makes the material much more enjoyable to listen to when he teaches it.

Simon is the best! He's super enthusiastic and obviously incredibly knowledgable. He's a really approachable guy, as well. His tests are a little tricky, but not impossible, especially considering you get a half-sheet notecard. If you have to take 151, take it with Simon!l

Gilroy is hilarious and loves cats. Not necessary to go to lectures but pretty entertaining. Tests are manageable and love his accent!

He sometimes has quite a bit to talk about in a lecture may move fairly quickly, but overall the course isn't too intense, and you learn a lot. He explains concepts very well, and is a fantastically entertaining lecturer.

Great teacher and great guy. Lectures are enjoyable and informative and pretty much all exam questions come from the lectures. Exams are tricky but completely doable if you study. Textbook isn't really important and more as a study aid if you don't understand something from lecture. I completely recommend taking Simon for this class if you can

Great teacher. He really knows his stuff and makes the lectures enjoyable. He talks fast but records the lecture and he always took time to answer all of my questions. The tests are tough and can be tricky but all of it comes from the lecture so study hard and you will get decent grades.

this guys awesome. he's the happiest man i've ever met and loves his work. soo passionate about teaching. exam questions come right from lecture (which are recorded online) so use the book to follow up on stuff you dont understand or read it before lecture. take good lecture notes and you'll be good for exams. class not curved though!!

SImon loves Biology and it shows in his lectures. Very talented teacher and he does awesome research too. Tests and quizzes are tough, but the material itself is pretty tough. Great professor to take even if you're not a bio major and just looking for some background. All test questions come from lectures so the textbook just helps explain things.

Professor Gilroy was one of the best prof's I've had at UW. He is very entertaining in class and his love for cats just makes him that much more interesting. His english accent helps as well which just compliments his long white hair and his combo of floral shirts with cargo shorts. Lectures could drag on but attending was always profitable.

I loved having Gilroy as a professor. Very engaged and entertaining. Some of his exam questions were tricky, but it helps to read the textbook. Overall, he made learning about plants actually fun.

Had Simon for 151/152. He only tests material from lecture. Super easy and he's a great lecturer!

Simon Gilroy is very passionate about teaching but seems to be more concerned about entertaining than focusing on the content. It would be less distracting and easier to learn if he spent more time going over course concepts than making jokes about cats. Everything on the exam is covered in lecture, which is nice, but wording can be tricky.

Gilroy is very passionate about plants and does a great job making them interesting for everyone. He also makes connections between plants and the other units for bio152 which makes things easier to remember and understand. He records lectures and posts notes, and practice exams are available. The exam was very fair.

Simon is not only hilarious, but a wonderful professor who has a real passion for what he teaches. Pay attention in his lectures and attend the discussions and this class will not be a problem.

Lectures are not mandatory since all the lecture slides are posted online, but his lectures are actually enjoyable. Readings aren't mandatory but do help; otherwise, he does cover everything you need to know for the exam during lecture. Discussions have at least one pop quiz but are also very helpful for complex cycles and systems.

He's amazing, 10/10 would take another class taught by him

Simon Gilroy is clearly passionate about his work. His enthusiasm for plant turns a typically boring topic and makes it something that you enjoy following along. The tests were easy if you review lecture notes. The course made me purchase a textbook, but I never picked it up throughout the course. Choose Simon if you want a memorable course.

Love him! He makes lecture so entertaining and fun. He's a really good prof, he explains things clearly, and gets the message across, never a dull time with this prof. You can really tell that he's passionate about his teaching, which is great. Exams are okay, not too easy and not too difficult. Study and you'll pass. Everything's based on lecture

He wears a Haiwian shirt EVERY DAY and never repeats one, and makes weird cat jokes lol. All of his exams are information that's directly from his lecture, and they use lecture capture, so you can watch from home. He also doesn't know how to work tophat so don't worry about attendance. I had him twice and both times were good experiences.

This professor was AMAZING!! Hes so funny and genuinely cares about the class and its content. The tests are 100% based on lectures and the lectures are on line so you dont have to go. No surprises

Professor Gilroy was my favorite of the three Bio152 lecturers this semester. His lectures were engaging, easy to follow/understand, and taught me more than I ever expected to know about plants. I looked forward to attending class every day! He really knows his material and makes it fun to learn - would highly recommend taking a class with him.

Lectures were amazing as Simon lives his job and wants you to be interested too. The quizzes and exams are right from lectures so you dont need to buy the book. Lab and discussion are a different story however. Just depends on who your TA is

Professor Gilroy is a wonderful professor you don't want to miss for BIO151/153. Not only does he given very entertaining lectures, but makes quizzes and tests based directly off the main topics of his course content. He does not require use of a textbook, and if you truly stay attentive during lectures the class will be go smoothly.

Dr. Gilroy is amazing. Hands down one of my favorite professors at UW. Really knows his stuff and simplifies it to a level that we can understand. Exams are super fair (literally everything is from the lecture slides.) Definitely go out of your way to have him as your professor. Also loves NASA. Very cool. Likes cats too.

I suck at bio and found this class really hard, but Gilroy is really good at lecturing and dumbing down some complicated topics. He is super interesting and his tests are very fair. He posts lectures and doesn't require reading the book.

This guy knows his plants. LAME, or that's what I thought. After BIO 152 with this guy, I literally started growing plants. His main goal throughout the class is to prove to you that plants are pretty cool and I would say he does an excellent job. I would love to have another class with him.

Dr. Gilroy is absolutely AMAZING and he really loves biology. I always HATED plant biology and would never take a botany class, but his lectures on plants were so engaging that I couldn't be bored. He's really great at explaining complicated concepts and uses metaphors all the time to ensure students are understanding everything. 100% recommend him

Gilroy is the man! He made plants super super interesting. The exam was straight out of our notes. Great way to start 152. He also loves Hawaiian shirts, cats and NASA. Explains things in a very simplistic way and is very energetic during lecture. Will definitely miss him.

We're only in the first few weeks of class, but this man has me on the edge of my seat during lectures. The material is made as interesting as can be, and has reminded me of why I love biology.

Simon is funny and his lectures kept me engaged, which is normally a huge challenge for me. The textbook I think is technically required but I haven't needed it once and I'm doing well in the class. He only lectured the first half of the semester and I'm disappointed to see him go. Definitely my favorite professor thus far.

The exam content comes right from the lectures, which are entertaining and easy to follow. Simon is very fun and loves kittens. The textbook is not entirely required, but is supplemental to the lectures so if you want more detail and explanation get the book but if you can comprehend the lectures, you really can save the $100.

Professor Gilroy really cared about students and made sure they understood content by dumbing it down and explaining the pure basics you need to know. His tests are taken right off of his slides and no textbook is required. If you go to class and go through the slides before the test you should be fine. He also put pictures of kittens on his slides

Dr. Gilroy is one of the best professors I've ever had! His lectures are so interesting that you want them to continue. He makes complex concepts easy and understandable, and his classes are never dull. He teaches one-third of the biology course, and I was sad when we changed professors. Go out of your way to have him!

A great man with even better hair. Very organized and clear cut with his lectures.

absolutely love Simon, he is quite a gem to have as a teacher. He and the team work to make the exams manageable and you can tell he really enjoys teaching class. Love his presentations especially with all the kittens. He is the type of professor that makes going to class worth it.

Gilroy is fantastic - I was sad when his section of 151 ended. He was effective and engaging, very clear about what we should know, and acknowledged when concepts were complicated (never makes you feel dumb for not understanding something)

Simon is fantastic. He was one of my lecturers for Bio151 and everybody loved him. Super funny guy and made lectures interesting. Lectures are recorded, in person, and on Zoom so you have so many options. Only reason I got a C was because I did not watch the lectures at all lol. He really is great and the nicest guy. Really passionate too

Gilroy is so knowledgeable, interesting and an amazing lecturer. He made every student and question feel valued, and you didn't feel dumb for asking it. He's also very funny, loves his cats, and is available outside of class. Still is a challenging class but he wants students to succeed, and if you go to lecture and know the slides you're cruising.

Gilroy is easily the best professor I have ever had at UW. He does a phenomenal job of explaining complex topics in terms that are more easily understandable and is always willing to answer any questions during or after lecture. I would take a million classes with him if I could. His hawaiian shirts actually made my day every single lecture.

Not easy, but not necessarily difficult as long as you put in the work and attend class. Such a great person and really engaging in lecture. All of his exams have been fair.

Love him, best professor I've had. Great lectures- engaging and clear/concise.

Simon Gilroy made the plants module very fun. Super funny and interesting guy, and was able to break down larger ideas into smaller, more understandable pieces of material. The plants module does require a lot of memorization, but his lectures are engaging which helps.

Incredible lecturer. Keeps you engaged the entire time and makes what is a fairly difficult, content-heavy, class seem much easier and also more enjoyable. 11/10, loved him and would definitely take class from him again if ever given the chance!

Dr. Gilroy cares about biology and cares about you. His tests were easy and his lectures were fun to attend. My one thing about him is his lecture slides had very little content and were difficult to get course content out of when reviewing. He's funny, includes lots of cat photos, and wears Hawaiian shirts 24/7- take his class if you can!

Do yourself a favor and take a class with Dr. Gilroy. His lectures were so entertaining and clear on content. He is so engaged with the students, and exams were beyond fair. The best 151 teacher out of the 3, and I would take another class of his in a heartbeat. Excited for him for 152.

Simon Gilroy is one of the best lecturers I have had while here at UW. He is very passionate about what he is teaching and cares about his students. Best out of the 3 profs for 151. His exam was very reasonable, lectures covered everything to know. Hawaiian shirts + cat pictures were a fun bonus.

BEST PROFESSOR EVER!! Super engaging in class and so easy to listen to. Made a topic that's been difficult for me in the past much easier to grasp and understand. Every lecture was enjoyable. Textbook was helpful but not really necessary to read (exams based off of lecture). Overall 10/10, would take again.

I really liked Simon! He was super clear on what we needed to know for exams and he was really great at explaining concepts and went over them multiple times to make sure we knew them. This may have been redundant for some, but it was mostly really helpful. He was also funny, which made lectures entertaining to watch.

Awesome professor who's very engaging and makes lecture fun. Pretty clear about what to know for exams.

Wow what an incredible professor. I took his Biology 151 and 152 sections. By far the most engaging lectures I've been in. He's very clear about the level he expects for exams, and rarely goes beyond that. For the amount of work I did, it goes more like a 4 credit class. Definitely wouldn't mind taking it again.

Prof Gilroy was awesome! He had the best lectures out of all Bio 151 lecturers, though I do suspect that he makes his slides slightly confusing just to make the material a bit harder. I LOVE his powerpoint pointers - easy to see both in person and online. He is GREAT in office hours, explains things well and with great detail.

BEST PROF EVER. TAKE THIS CLASS JUST FOR HIM AND HIS AWESOME SHIRTS, AMAZING HAIR, AND SWAG MUSTACHE

Professor Gilroy is actually so cool. I have never met anyone in my life as enthused about plants as he is, but honestly respect! His lectures are very engaging and I did not skip a single one because he made plants very interesting! Sad to be moving on to another lecturer, but I had a great experience in Bio 152 thus far with Prof. Gilroy!

Dr. Gilroy was an amazing lecturer and he explained the concepts about plants very clearly, he gave many useful metaphors that made the subject more tangible and he has a great sense of humor that made the class more engaging!

While he's certainly a riot, I felt the exam was not strongly related to the learning objectives. I also suspect he made things more confusing than they needed to be. I think that if I got a do over with Prof Gilroy, I may do better on the exam, but I'm not sure. Went into the exam confident, walked out sad.

Gilroy overall was an extremely funny and passionate person. His lectures were a bit scrambled, but most of the information came across. Although, his exam covered topics only briefly mentioned, so lecture attendance (in person or recorded) is imperative. His enthusiasm helped my personal learning/attention, though many felt differently.

Gilroy is the GOAT. Bio is split into 3 different units and for 151 he taught the 1st unit (cell biology). Not only is he a hilarious, very entertaining lecturer, but he has serious skill in teaching complicated concepts very simply (& memorably). I wish UW had a class just on Dr. Gilroy

Dr. Gilroy has such a passion for this concept that it is difficult to not enjoy his lectures. He gave an incredibly engaging lecture that was very informative.

Dr. Gilroy is very funny and enthusiastic about plants. Every lecture was entertaining, and sometimes his jokes helped me remember things on the quizzes and exams. Some his explanations could be clearer and his slides could use more detail, but overall I enjoyed his portion of the class.

Very enthusiastic about the subject matter he teaches in 152 and lecture slides have everything you need on them which is very helpful with review. Cares a lot about students and super funny!

Simon is a very entertaining professor who really wants you to understand plants. Some of his quizzes were a bit hard, but the exam was extremely fair and you can tell he cares about his students.

Dr. Gilroy clearly has a great passion for plants and plant biology, and this is evident in the enthusiasm he displays in lectures. There were a few occasions when he was a bit unclear, but this was rare. If you complete the reading and pay attention in the lecture, you should do very well. If you do happen to have questions, he is quite helpful.

Dr. Gilroy obviously has a passion for the material he teaches and he does so in an almost manically enthusiastic way which cements concepts into student memory effectively. The textbook is written by him personally so lectures correlate with it directly. Also, inspiring guy with an extensive research career and work at NASA.

awesome and enthusiastic professor! You can tell that he enjoys what he does and loves biology. He also does a great job of understanding difficult biological concepts.

Dr. Gilroy was one of my favorite professors at UW. He made somewhat difficult content interesting and easy to understand. If you understand the terms and LLOs you'll do great in his section of bio 151. He shows he cares about student success and is very available to answer any questions you have.

Prof. Gilroy was a very engaging lecturer and is clearly passionate and insanely smart. His section of the course wasn't my favorite, but that is just because of the content, not because of him. Bio 151 as a whole has many assignments but its bearable, I rarely read the textbook and still did fine.

I enjoy his mannerisms and teaching style. His lectures are very engaging and he makes me appreciate biology.

Prof Gilroy is an engaging and entertaining lecturer. While the exams can be challenging, his clear guidance on what to focus on makes the class manageable. Using unstuck ai alongside the textbook helped me prepare effectively.

This guy loves his job, and you can feel it in his lectures. Is incredibly engaging and cares for his students. Wrote the textbook, so concepts are clearly defined. Encourages student engagement through Top Hat and class questions. Pre-exam review session was a blast. Taught the plant unit, arguably the hardest in BIO152, but handled it very well

Wasn't super into plant biology but he made it enjoyable and not too much of a pain! He's so wholesome, always tried to make our class laugh with his jokes :) Lab never aligned with his lectures, but had good discussion plans that helped!

I LOVE this man. Dr. Gilroy is brilliant and made me excited to come to lecture, even though I didn't really care about plants. He is witty, good at explaining concepts, his slides are easy to follow, and overall is concise and effective at lecturing. He loves what he teaches and it's obvious when he lectures, which makes me want to love it too

Gilroy was my favorite of the three Bio 152 Professors. His lectures were clear and concise and occasionally hilarious. The plants unit is the hardest of the three with all of the memorization involved, but you get a notecard that makes it a lot easier. Gilroy's passion for plants really rubs off on you, and I ended up enjoying lectures.

Professor Gilroy is an amazing lecturer. You can clearly see that he loves what he is teaching. Highly recommend!

Gilroy was easily the best 152 lecturer. He's hilarious and makes the lectures fun. I personally never went to office hours because he did such a good job explaining the content. In my opinion, plants was the easiest module for me, and I think Gilroy had a lot to do with that. Be warned, the class goes downhill after him.

Dr. Gilroy made lectures so engaging! He taught with lots of enthusiasm.

Dr.Gilroy has a charming british accent and he explains stuff really clearly. Bio151 ad 152 aren't really difficult so that helped too.

Love Dr gilroy

had a very creative way of explaining the content, which made the class engaging.

Very energetic

This man truly has my heart. He was SO engaging, his hair is voluptuous, and he's funny. It is clear he chose no struggles in life and because of such, he bestows his kindness, brightness, and intellect as his gift to the world. Truly a saint.

Awesome lecturer

Gilroy is incredible and brilliant. His lectures are incredibly engaging and he does a great job contextualizing the material. People like him restore my faith in the possibility of finding a job I truly enjoy. He is so enthusiastic and has an awesome accent!!

Dr Gilroy was genuinely the highlight of Bio 151 for me. He was super funny which made the lectures engaging and you can tell he cares deeply for the students and the material. He is also British...always a plus.

Dr. Gilroy is amazing! He makes lectures genuinely fun to be in and he's very helpful if you have questions. You could tell that he was committed to making the class fun and not as stressful. Plus, the cute kittens!

He was a very good lecturer who made class engaging and interesting. Overall, he was super funny, and I genuinely understood the material because of him. I did feel that his exam was not as representative of what we learned as I thought it would be.

Gilroy was an amazing professor whose love and passion showed through in each lecture. He made it exciting to go to lecture each day. Expectations for what we needed to know and to what extent were very clearly laid out and he was exceptional at simplifying complex topics. You should absolutely jump for joy if you see Gilroy as your professor.

He is very passionate about plants and I think that is beautiful. He also has very long luxurious hair and I think that's great.

Dr. Gilroy presented comprehensible lectures and concise slides. The depth of the topics taught were perfect for an intro bio class. The hardest content was cellular respiration and photosynthesis. He was funny and my favorite professor of the three. His exam reflected his content fairly. He seems to genuinely care about plants and biology.

He's super passionate and easy to understand. Great guy. 153 is pretty much only graded on exams so make sure you do well

Amazing professor, super engaging and brings great energy to the class- would definitely take again!

Gilroy is easily the best professor out of all three for Bio 151. This course is moderately difficult and memorization heavy on exams, but Gilroy makes the content engaging and easy to learn through his cheerful attitude and smiles. The labs required some outside class hours but the TAs are also helpful to guide you through completing lab reports!