2.5
Quality4.0
Difficulty32%
Would Retake124
Reviews32%
Would Retake
124
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
21
4
18
3
18
2
18
1
49
What Students Say
“Do Not Take his class if you want to pass with a good grade”
BIOL6A - 1.0 rating“He's not a hard teacher but he just doesn't teach well”
BIO6A6B - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
96%
Textbook Required
53%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.97 avg changeRatings by Course
BBIO
5.0
(1)BIO040A
5.0
(1)BIOL11
4.0
(7)BIO11
3.4
(16)BIO40B
3.0
(14)Difficulty by Course
BIO40
5.0
BIO02
5.0
6A
4.6
BIOL6B
4.5
BIO6B
4.3
Reviews (124)
AVOID HIM AT ALL COST!. His guidelines are unclear and even changes them last minute. He won't let you make up homework but he was forced to give us EC because half of the class was failing. More than 40 people received a failing grade. His study guides are useless and he expects you to memorize the book. Tests are extremely lengthy and difficult.
His tests are so hard and long. He asks 100 questions per test, so there is a lot of questions about small details in the book that he doesn't really cover. I would understand the difficulty of his tests if he was a good teacher, but he sucks. All he does is literally read off his powerpoint. My advice would be to not take him for bio.
Do yourself a favor and don't take his class. His lectures are extremely boring and he takes attendance everyday. Lectures are not really helpful either, because based on the questions he asks in the midterms, he expects you to memorize the book. A lot of people dropped the class because more than 50% of the class failed the first tests.
Don't take him for Anatomy and Physiology. He is so much harder than the other professors. His lectures are boring and he expects you to be there everyday for the entire class period. You will have to read a lot because you pretty much have to memorize all the details in the book. His tests are 100 questions, and they are difficult.
Don't take his bio class! The first midterm is damn hard. You have to remember every detail from his slides and our textbook! He tries pretty hard to teach us, unfortunately, it doesn't work!
Attendance:a must. Tests:detailed & complicated. Overwhelming?Yes.Abundant amount of info.Must read textbook,lecture notes,study on your own.SG:useless b/c it practically covers EVERYTHING. Be prepared to spend extra hrs outside to review after his lectures.Nice prof but avoid if possible.Syllabus might change so who knows..we were his guinue pigs
He's a new teacher. His lab tests are hard since it covers both physiology and anatomy. He's a nice teacher though. He actually tries to help his students. Must read book and review notes everyday. I have to say he's harder than other teachers.
It's like he thinks you're not taking other classes. If taking this class, expect to study 20+ hrs in the class just to pass. You have to constantly look at your material because you can't expect his study guide to help you & a lot of the time theres a lot of things not even in the SG that'll be on the test! Just avoid as much as possible.
He is really nice and tries really hard to be helpful. Heâ??s a great teacher. his exams are quite easy, all multiple choice and strait forward(70% from the homework). the lab practical are the same activities we practiced in lab.
He is a really bad instructor. Do not take him for biology. The course material is already very difficult and he just complicates things even more. I definitely don't deserve the grade I'm getting in this class. I have put in so much time into this class just to receive a barely passing grade. His study guides are useless and tests are hard.
Multiple choice, non-cummulative 3 lecture tests (70-100 questions) and 2 lab tests (50 questions), but they were straight forward from the lecture notes and HW questions. The course itself is hard so you have to review after lecture to get the info embedded in your mind. No book needed. I thought he was fair and square!
Agree with the below comment. If your a BIO, nursing, or pre-med student this class should be EASY!but when it comes to gaining "knowledge" for bio I would not take him. Instead of analyzing wats n d powerpnt, he completely reads everything on it. But if u want an easy A, take him. If u want to learn, take someone else.
I thought he was ridiculously easy compared to my previous BIO40a teacher(Webb). He does ask a lot of you but I thought he was really easy because most of exam questions came from the homework. It was also multiple choice. In my honest opinion, he is the easiest BIO40 teacher at de anza, very straight forward. VERY easy A for me. just study.
agree with previous comments. if you are going into the medical field, this class should be really easy for you. I barely studied for this class and still got an A in the end. VERY easy compared to other bio professors at de anza. Those who are complaining are just lazy and are in for a reality check when they get into the medical programs. EASY A.
He is a very fair and nice teacher who gives plenty of oppurtunity for points. You need to study because it's anatomy and physiology, there is nothing he can do about the amount of material required to know. Overall it's very doable to get an A in this class, the people complaining need to change their study habits.
Overall, the class was not hard, I got an A. His exams/practicals are fair and pretty straight forward. With that said, he is a TERRIBLE professor. His lectures are dry and boring; he will redraw pictures from the slides and pretty much read off the power point... to make it worst, he makes attendance mandatory. Just study and you should get an A.
He is a horrible teacher! I'm a biology major & he's made me hate it. Every test we've had has 5-6 chapters on it, which is A LOT of information to remember. Lectures are extremely boring...he does nothing but read off slides. Study guides don't help whatsoever.
I'm not a bio major but I appreciated this class. His exams are very detailed, u have to make sure u know every little thing, but he gives study guides & lecture slides are very helpful. It's not hard b/c everything's out of the book & lecture slides. Lectures are boring but tolerable. He definitely tries and cares that you learn.
Pretty much the worse professor I have ever had. He doesn't teach; he just reads off his slides. No clear expectations. Talks in circles. Very disorganized. Always makes stupid mistakes. Overall awful teacher. Just take someone else and save yourself.
This was a class requirement for me to transfer and was concerned about learning everything. His positive attitude is what makes the class great since we're talking about a lot of technical material. As long as you study the material in the book and do the homework, you will be fine. Just make sure you actually study and actually do the homework.
He is a very smart, logical and realistic teacher. I took his 40 a, b and c series in a row. because the way he structures his class allows you to focus on studying. make sure you study the BOOK! and stay organized. bio requires focus. so dont take it easy for anatomy/physiology. keep on top of studying and READING TO RETAIN INFO. VERY IMPORTANT
Kanga is a hard professor I would truely say.He goes exactly what the book and lab manuel says.You need to study both really well and pay attention to the small details.His Lab Practicals exam were very hard, 50 Questions and for lab practical quizzes 25 questions.For lecture made, 40-60 Slides,Bio is hard for me so I ended up with a C.
Very good teacher. Very helpful and shows that he really cares to help you be successful.
Very good teacher. Very helpful. Easy if you give the effort.
Very nice man, very helpful. I felt it was a good class and if you did the work, showed up on time, you will get a B or an A.
Seriously one of the worst professor's EVER. He does not teach you ANYTHING and his tests are always different than what he tells you they will be about. I so regret having him, made my first quarter at De Anza terrible.
he is very good and very professional. if you pay attention and do all assignments you will do pretty well. i felt like his expectations are similar to what its like in the real world. if you are not organized dont care much, DO NOT TAKE BIOLOGY.
It's pretty apparent that he's a new teacher. His personal life certainly affects his professional performance. During lecture, he'll often go on an irrelevant tangent. He's nice, but his quizzes and exams are disproportionately difficult to the quality of his lectures. Be careful, as he also modifies many due dates at the last minute.
Ridiculous professor, avoid. Tests are okay, but he can't teach at all. Speaking to him one and one does not help, as he tends to contradict himself, or be wishy-washy. Grading of lab reports is slow, and unrealistically strict. Handed back our first report during the 7th week of the quarter.
Not the best lecturer, but extremely helpful. I doubt there will be anybody as easy as him for 6b. You can pass his midterms just by reading his ppts. He gives study guides for every test, including the lab final, and if you can complete the guides you'll do great. He's stayed passed his allotted time for office hours numerous times to help us.
Study your butt off for test b/c its the only possible A you can get-not saying its easy to get an A. Took this class twice&the highest I got was a B.Lab HURTS your grade b/c he grades off of his mood not a rubric. He cant give you a straight answer to getting points off he says "There must've been something wrong at the time I was grading it" BS!
To tell you the truth, if you want to learn something and get a good grade, don't take him. Lectures are not helpful at all. He provides study guide, but he will only give it to you a couple days before the exam. Always delay everything. I had been waiting for my lab quiz for 2 months, but it's not posed yet. Once again, don't take him.
this is a hard class. you will never see your quiz, exam any more since you turn it in. the study guid is made by questions, and you will figure out the answer by yourself. the lab quizzes and exams hurt your grades. i can feel he was trying to help us learn somethings, but he never thinks about give you a good grade.
Simon is more like a graduate school prof who's always being able to answer you questions if you ask but won't make everything simple and clear for you. You need to study VERY hard for both lecture and lab exams and you will see improvement if you do! Plus: He's not very organized in planned schedules and when to return quizzes to his students.
nice prof from med school, really knows stuff lectures are fine but always fall behind schedule, we did more than half of our labs with just a little info about the chapter rather than understanding the full concept after lecture study guides, grades and slides always posted late, once he posted slides at 2am for a 930 class lab exams are hard
Im an A kind of student and a bio major, yet hes horrible. He NEVER updates grades so you never know where you are. He sasses students back. He never gives above a C on lab reports for any of the groups. He stutters a lot. He doesnt know what the answer to his questions are and says "youll find out later" because he actually doesnt know the answer.
Simon seems like a pretty nice guy, but the farther you get along in his class the more you realize he is incredibly confusing and unclear on almost all of the topics, ESPECIALLY when it comes to lab reports (barely gives above C). He will say "I'm on your team" but he always tries to catch students off guard and grades way harder than he teaches.
He was engaging in the beginning so I was eager to take his course. But as the quarter progressed, his instruction quality declined. His grading criteria is unclear (always changes), he uses words (not related to each other) synonymously, and he does not give equal opportunity to help his students. I was ultimately left confused and frustrated.
He is a bit disorganized and is very unspecific on his criteria on grading the lab reports. Even when you submit your lab report a few days ahead for feedback, he ends up marking off points for things he never explained or asked for on the rubric and feedback. He is a tough grader, misspelling a word by one letter would get the whole question wrong
Very clear about what he wants, very organized , passionate , and reasonable ,,take him.
I would take his class again .
Simon is, uhh, iffy. I took him for both 6A and 6B. As a bio teacher he is decent, he does his job, lectures, and does his best at answering every student's question. However, he can be unclear often and unorganized, especially for the lab part of the class. However, the exams are pretty easy, as long as you study sufficiently.
He is really informative. Trust me. Those who say he is not good, its not true. He is just not clear in the way he speak. One thing for sure, he is really dedicated. If you in medical major, should take him. He is so knowledgeable. Although I napping in his class, many students who interested in BIO, learn a lot from him.
Had him for lecture and he really knows his stuff. Very knowledgeable and uses class time efficiently. It is easy to zone out though because there are no breaks, so try to sit in the front. He prepares you well for exams and also has review sessions in class. Easy online homework and textbook is not needed because he provides lecture slides
Professor Kang'a has an amazing teaching style. Everything he lectures on is very clear and straight forward. His tests are very straight forward as well, just make sure you do his study guides. If you do all of it, you are good to go! He is very knowledgeable and organized. Highly recommended! You won't regret taking his class.
hard lecture, boring lab, tough exam, NEVER take his class!!!
You never what he's gonna ask you in the exam. Nevert know what to prepare for the exam, and you will not have time to take note in class 'cuz he will tell that all the stuff are in the PPT which actually not. You will regert if you take his class.
He rambles from the ppt, says he's here to help, but will be rude & condescending, often misunderstanding your questions & answers something else. He's inconsistent, unpredictable and very laggy with inputting grades (for MC!), so just note what he says is important I love bio but dreaded his class, but he was the only option. Bear through it &GL
He's mean and unpredictable. Lecture is boring but durable. Lab is hard and frustrated with his poor teaching style. When you only ask him a simple question, he starts to waste time rumbling and explaining about how he loves biol and his students, but actually he doesn't care. If you have no choice and take him, good luck! You will hate biol.
I had him for 6A and have him for 6B now and I got an A with relative ease. He does tend to ramble on lectures, but he does explain the content. His tests are MC(about 40) and short answer(3-4), and the content is straight off of the lectures. His 6B lab gets a bit harder with the pop quizzes. He knows the content and is willing to explain it again
Reviews below have said everything... he takes ages to grade stuff or input grades. His class isn't hard per se (maybe for dedicated science majors). He's just not the best teacher, doesn't make class enjoyable, and is frustrating, confusing, and unhelpful at times. Stay on top of your game, you'll do fine, but of course easier said than done.
For 6A he's okay. Lectures are long and boring, he contradicts himself most of the time so it can get confusing. 6B had harder material and so having a teacher like him just didn't help. He's not a hard teacher but he just doesn't teach well. Tests are fairly easy. (Except for the free response since he grades those harshly)
He is awesome but the exam is tough and hard. Get ready to study. He also gives extra credits. The lecture is a little bit boring, but the slides are informative and useful.
Wonderful teacher. Expectations laid out from Day 1. Stays calm in lab even when you mess up, clear lectures (he even tells you sample questions that often will come on the tests), straightforward tests. The study guides really help! Drops lowest quiz and HW score. He can be a bit serious, but he really wants everyone to do well. Highly recommend!
Organized, relaxed personality, but takes class seriously. Wants us all to be better students; often incorporates Bio current events into lecture. Print/take lecture notes on his slides, make flashcards/outlines from his lifesaving study guides. The tests are very reasonable. Do lab review questions every day to prepare for pop quizzes (only 5).
Do Not Take his class if you want to pass with a good grade. He quickly explains his lecture at the end of the lab instead of the beginning, which makes it hard for students to fully understand the content. He gives us lab pop quizzes every week but does not post those lab slides online. Study guides will help you get atleast a C, so READ the book.
Great teacher. Kind of formal, but very caring and does what he can to help with making study guides and potential test questions during lecture. Lab is tough, so supplement his lectures with the lab manual, start studying the lab stuff from day 1, and make sure you take notes on what he says in lecture, not just the powerpoint.
He is one of the easiest Biology professors at De Anza if you listen to the lecture and record it. There are 3 midterms (multiple choice + short answer). Use Campbell Biology quizlet + easynotescards to review each chapter (very helpful).
Everything on his exams come straight from his lectures. Use his ppts ONLY as a template but make sure to take notes on what he says AND draw out all his diagrams. People who don't do well are prob people who take notes of his ppts and ignores his lectures. He breaks everything down so it's easy to understand. Trust me, easier than Heyer.
He is really specific with his study guides which is good because those are basically the test. But he gives no extra credit and is a harsh grader. Take him if you want a challenge!!!
Great biology professor! He is super organized. He gives you the whole schedule of the quarter and all the study guides for exams. His lecture exams are straight from his study guides and his homework answers are all online! He curves his grades (87 is an A) Pop quizzes in lab are difficult. If you study and stay on top of things, you'll get an A!
He is one of the kindest and more caring prof in the science dept. He's fair with his grading criteria (no extra credit but he does curve his grading scale. He gives you a study guide before exams and finals. Always has a positive attitude and wiling to help you when you mess up on your lab. He should be given more credit than his ratings.
Prf Kanga is very helpful outside of class. Go to his office hours he is ready to explain evrythng that you didn't understand in class. To get MOST out of his class, I would HIGHLY recommend to either read the textbook to get the idea of the topic or watch some videos on youtube to get introduced to the topic. Then you will TRULY enjoy the class
It's possible to get an A if you RLLY dedicate a lot of time studying for this class. for the lecture exams, u should study quizlets online everyday. for lab, u should memorize his lab slides everyday and then be sure to know the function of everything in the slides. Cramming all this information 2-3 nights before the exam is not enough to get an A
Tough grader, boring lecture, difficult to understand his teaching and confuses a lot by including the stuff from Bio6B and Bi06C. No proper notes and he tells that everything is the presentation slides which is actually not. Never take his class if you want to pass with a good grade.
Dr. Kanga was an incredibly positive person. Never saw him without a smile. Great guy, horrible class. Prior to taking this class I had never struggled with biology, but I am not going to lie this class was very difficult. The lectures are boring and even when you pay attention in class, you will have to study at home. If required, good luck.
Not a mind blowing or memorable Professor. Exams are fair and easier than most biology tests at this level. Didnt find his lectures or study guides useful personally. Best way to do well; rely on yourself. Read the book chapter before each lecture, read through the lab manual before each experiment, and practice problems for his tricky lab quizzes
Lectures are okay but they can drag on for a bit. His lab quizzes and lab final exam are far harder than his lecture exams. Make sure you choose your group wisely, because that's the one you will be stuck with for writing lab reports with for the rest of the quarter. Overall nice prof, and possibly the easiest out of the 6B options.
He has super hard exams and that was the worst part about his class (the average for our exams and quizzes was a D, I checked on Canvas). He is helpful in office hours and you can do well if you WORK ON THE STUDY GUIDE EARLY. The only time I did well on an exam was when I used the study guide three weeks before the exam. Tests aren't accumulative.
I don't know if Kang'a was struggling with the online format or personal issues due to the pandemic but he was all over the place. Unorganized, sometimes did not show up to lab classes, refused to record lectures and made us rely on powerpoint slides with very little context. I am sure he's a nice guy in person but don't take him for now.
STUDY. On top of reviewing his lecture notes, I read the textbook, drew out diagrams, watched more videos on Youtube, and practiced on quizlet for lecture exams (super difficult!). For lab, review everyday and officially study 2 weeks prior. He has a good attitude and is nice at least. His review videos were pretty helpful too
Profesor Kang'a was extremely kind and understanding. Always had a smile on his face. But his class was the polar opposite. Very hard, difficult to understand, and almost impossible to learn in an online environment. Sadly, the main issue is teaching Biology online. Would like to try him again in person.
Clearly does not care for his students. 15 questions quizzes in 10 or 12 minutes is not enough. Correct answers are hidden and never discussed. Professor makes no effort to ensure students are actually learning, not just preparing to take quizzes. Technical difficulties? Tough luck.
Pros: accessible, answers questions, willing to admit mistakes and improve, wants to help, no textbook required. Cons: disorganized, harsh grading, tech-illiterate, terrible testing policies (over-proctored, cares more about catching potential cheaters than actually teaching), slow grading so you don't get good feedback, boring lectures.
Kang'a was by far the most difficult professor I've had. He grades so harshly b/c " Bio majors" and should know better. His grading criteria isn't clear and it took forever for us to receive our corrections on lab reports. The exams are tough given the time constraint. Beware for calculations and be ready to do them faster than humanly possible.
Thank God this professor was bio-majored. Imagine him being a judge or prosecutor, he would punish everyone at a crime scene to make sure he at least got the culprit. His best friend is Canvas analytics
I had Kanga for 6A and 6B, 6A was doable but 6B was a nightmare. His speciality is in Cell and Molecular Biology so can't be too surprised he cares more about it but he would give us terrible grades for lab reports and expect improvement even though he never graded them. Also everything remotely off do during quizzes or exams is "cheating."
Does not teach. Only reads off the slide verbatim. Hard to learn when there are no resources. Quizzes are extremely hard with very little time. You do not even get a min per a question.
The 2.9/5 fits the professor perfectly does not care for his students at all.
I really don't like Professor Kanga, he doesn't explain or teach the material well, and it is completely up to you to learn. His schedule is all over the place, and when he takes quizzes, he asks very difficult questions sometimes not related to the topic and gives very little time to answer and think. He is a tough teacher to deal with, good luck
2.9/5 is too high for the professor, doesn't care for students and can't grade properly.
Avoid this professor! He doesn't care about his students and doesn't know how to teach. Doesn't realize that students have other classes and responsibilities outside of his class. 2.9/5 rating is too high for him.
There is a reason why this professor is so low-rated. He was the only bio prof available during Spring 22 quarter, so I decided to take a chance. He seems sweet, but grading and style of teaching are not efficient and are impossible. Barely enough time to complete quizzes/tests. So much homework per week. Instructions are unclear. Don't recommend.
Nice and knowledgeable professor. Lecture HW, Post lab work, and Exams are all MCQ. Teaching style could be better but literally just do the assignments (score high) and you will pass this class. I scored so low all exams and still passed this class. Gives extra credit. I didn't like him & his teaching style in the beginning but he grew on me.
Professor is very nice in lab and will help you if you get stuck. Lectures/exams are straightforward if you do your hw and work on the study guides regularly and thoroughly. For pop quizzes, stay on track with the lab manual. Group lab reports are graded w/o mercy and can be late so choose your seats wisely as it will be your group for the quarter.
One of the worst professors ever. Pop Quizzes are hard bc he gives little time. I dislike the way he speaks too. Labs usually never last 3h bc you're free to go when done. But, it's like he purposely speaks slowly to avoid dismissing the class early. TRUST THE RATINGS, I would rather have not taken bio this quarter instead of taking it with him
He is an awful teacher, extremely unhelpful, and will always refer to the textbook or instructions which are unclear. Tests are extremely difficult and he doesn't go over all the material before for example: the test is on apples bananas and oranges = a test on pears. Then the same class after your 50 questions he will completely break down pears.
Not accommodating with deadlines at all so keep on top of them (even one minute late and he wont accept anything), but he gives good lectures and is a funny guy. He creates a pleasant class atmosphere.
He is really friendly and helpful if you ask. His lectures are good and to the point. He could be more organized with things and definitely cover more material before quizzes. Overall I had a great experience in the class. He can be a little crazy about cheating but it has occurred in the past so I understand why.
He made me dislike biology. Worst Professor I've ever had. Not accomodating at all. If you want to ruin your GPA take his class.
all of the good reviews are honestly not true he is super difficult and i should have waited and taken another professor
Beware of taking this professor. Pop quizzes almost every week with very little time to answer (12 minutes to answer 15 questions). Grading is very unclear and very harsh for exams. He gives too little time as well for those lecture exam and lab exams. Your GPA will definitely suffer if you take this class.
Profesor grades really tough on lab reports and pop quizzes are super difficult. I'd rather just wait for another professor. Not really understanding
Trust the negative reviews. No electronics of any kind. You don't get to see exam questions post exam, no leniency on late homework, and hard to reach. Office hours were in person, no zoom. Quizzes every week / other week, 15 questions, 10 minutes. Exams: 40-50 questions, 50 minutes. For tests: You can't go back to previous questions once answered.
Study guides are super straight forward so exams weren't super difficult to do coming from someone who's really bad at science in general. Class included 3 exams & a presentation project. All labs are done in groups. this class was definitely a little more difficult than other classes, but that's cuz its a science class but its definitely doable!
He is nice but his 6B is a lot more difficult than his 6A. Lab quizzes are given without much material to prepare for them. Getting to review them is a pain (must do during office hours). At the end of the qtr he was more lenient with grading lab stuff, but the first few labs he graded EXTREMELY harsh. some hw qs on exams (which are worth a lot).
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS WAIT FOR THE NEXT PROF OR NEXT QUARTER. Half of the class is retaking his course and he is always super late with grades and terrible at lecturing (reads off slides and when you ask for help he says watch the lectures). TAKE THE LOW REVIEWS SERIOUSLY. he does not care for his students. I am genuinely good with science but UGH
Do not take him unless you don't care about your gpa. He made me dislike biology and dread studying for it because no matter how much I studied, I would not do good because he asks for things on his exams that were never taught by him. Take this from someone who has always been good at biology. never struggled this much in a class! disappointed.
This professor is nice, but his class is hard. Pop quizzes every week (15 questions, 15 minutes). Initial lab reports are graded harshly, the rest are for completion. Lecture exams are tough but somewhat similar to the hw (50 questions, 50 min). Slow grader and can be hard to reach out to outside of class. Each lab period uses up the full 3 hours.
I enjoyed labs and his lectures, goes in-depth about every step in your lab and gives you a good overview of what molecular biology researchers do. Lecture tests were tough but doable if you make sure to practice and go over your homework quizzes. He is a nice, organized professor. Ensure that you have enough time and effort to spend on this class!
HE IS AWSOME!!!!! I took him this Fall 2024 At first I was so scared about the reviews but He WAS AWSOME. I have failed human bio twice in high school but I passed this class with A!!! he cares about students Achievement, the discussions and assignments are well explained, he always remind us to do a discussion/ assignments. He's great!:)))))))
Reviews are completely exaggerated. Bio as a subject is very memorization heavy. Take notes in class AND from the textbook. The openstax textbook is FREE and he tells u the chapters in the syllabus. GO TO OFFICE HOURS. He's very helpful and no one shows up so it's basically free tutoring and he'll give u hints ab the pop quizzes. Don't miss lab.
I'm surprised by the negative reviews. Exams (50 questions in 50 mins: 35 MCQs, 15 one-word) and weekly quizzes (15 questions in 12 mins) are on iPads provided by him and easy if you study. He gives full marks on lab assignments. The final was simple, labs well-paced. Go to office hours for hints about exams he's funny and helpful. Great professor!
thought he would be different, hes nice but literally is the worst grader.first lab report he gave a 4.5/10 and wrote us an entire essay just yelling at us over every detail. After you finish the Exams you cant leave or go to the bathroom bcs you could be cheating.On quizzes and exams you can't go back.literally just wait for diff teacher
doesn't let you review what you got wrong on quizzes so it's a guessing game when you want to go back and learn from your mistakes. he reuses questions so he's afraid of you copying them to cheat hence the not being able to review. don't take him unless you're prepared for a gpa drop or to be humbled
Doesn't care about students, very slow grader, unforgiving, and very hard to reach outside of class. Test questions are extremely difficult and very specific. Makes you do all quizzes and test on his ipads and you can't go back to previous questions. Lecture videos are not helpful but slides are decent. Grades lab reports very harshly.
Avoid him if you can. Go take Bio classes at Foothill. Simon is a very nice guy and understanding, but his classes are poorly taught and very much memorization-based. He uses video lectures recorded years ago. He skims through materials but expects you to know every detail on the exam. Good luck if he's your only choice.
Tests and quizzes are challenging and most students do not do well on them. You have 50 mins to do 50 questions including some multiple choice and some short answer. A lot of people run out of time. Lab reports are also graded very harshly.
This teacher made me lose all confidence in biology. I used to find biology fun and interesting but this teacher made the class so stressful. The tests were so hard I did not even now how to study for them. No amount of studying made me do well on his exams. I talked to many other students and they all have similar stories.
Please, for the sake of your sanity, avoid him if you can, He is the worst teacher I have ever encountered: test-heavy, has very little time allocated to tests and quizzes, Does not know how to teach, his lecture is just reading off the slides, talks super weird, tough Grader too. Non- cooperative, like he deliberately wants us to do bad.
Wait for another professor at all cost, taking his class is not worth it. Everything said in previous reviews is true. Doesn't care about students, writes an essay criticizing student lab reports, very harsh grader, etc.
Worst teacher I have encountered or heard of. Half the class drops with the first couple weeks since he makes the class as difficult as possible. Gives very little time for tests and quizzes, grades lab reports very harsh, and gives extra assignments. His 6A class is okay but avoid him at all cost for 6B.
3 lecture exams, 2 lab exams, 6 lab quizzes, exams non cumulative. Study ~2 weeks in advance for exams, use hw problems (often in the exam). Make sure to memorize the workings of each lab. Ask for feedback on lab reports prior to turning in. Even though the class is hard, he's a nice guy and open to questions so don't be afraid to ask.
ABSOLUTELY BRUTAL . GPA DESTROYER. I am convinced he enjoys to see students struggle and fail. Good luck :)
THE WORST TEACHER I HAVE EVER HAD!!! do yourself a favor and don't take him!
Do not take Simon Kanga. If there is no other professor, just wait till next quarter. You are graded on the lab reports so strictly it doesn't make sense. Every week there is a lab quiz, and if there is not a lab quiz, its either lecture exam or lab exam. He makes you take tests on his iPad's. I don't review, but I had to for this professor.
Honestly so shocked by all the bad reviews. Simon was a great professor and genuinely had passion for the subject. Attendance matters and studying does too! 3 lecture exams (2 at home) and 3 extra credit opportunities. Fun project at the end of the quarter which is part of your final. His labs felt extremely long, they were basically lectures.
The professor gave easy homeworks like a quiz per chapter which were 10 multiple choice questions. However, the last few weeks of the quarter required more time and effort for the homeworks. His grading is clear as long as you attend labs and study for the exams (3) you'll pass! He does not accept late work!
I had dropped my previous class because I was going to fail. I was worried with the ratings I saw here, but honestly you could tell he wanted you to pass the class. I would highly recommend taking his class he is very helpful and such a caring teacher. I have never been good with biology but learned a lot in this class.
RUNNNN!!!!! Don't take him unless you want your GPA to drop!!
His just send PPT to let you read for lecture. And his English is awful, like writing "muscle tissue" as "musle tissue". So he stops and repeat several times in each sentence. I'd rather read the textbook myself than listen to his words.
This guy is a joke. I did all my homework assignments on time, studied for tests, and had was less than 1% away from an A. However, because I uploaded a part of the final project incorrectly, he gave me a 0 and didn't listen to me when I emailed for an appeal. Overall, the class isn't super hard as long as you do the work but I wouldn't take him.
He's alright. Just study hard and don't cram everything. For lab quizzes and tests, make sure you review lab specific material such as what certain specimens look like under the microscope and any specific structures. pay attention and study.
He's nice & hw + labs are bearable. Lecture exams were very difficult & based on a LOT of material & were worth so much of your grade so if you did bad your grade would drop a lot. The final project helps bring your grade back up. Wasn't sure I could get an A but it happened miraculously. DO THE EXTRA CREDIT or your grade will drop more.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
96%
Textbook Required
53%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.97 avg changeRatings by Course
BBIO
5.0
(1)BIO040A
5.0
(1)BIOL11
4.0
(7)BIO11
3.4
(16)BIO40B
3.0
(14)Difficulty by Course
BIO40
5.0
BIO02
5.0
6A
4.6
BIOL6B
4.5
BIO6B
4.3