3.2
Quality3.8
Difficulty50%
Would Retake162
Reviews50%
Would Retake
162
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
31
4
48
3
31
2
35
1
17
What Students Say
“Tests are nearly impossible, even with the group test”
BIO140 - 2.0 rating“Halsell butchered my adoration for biology”
BIO140LEC - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
60%
Textbook Required
0%
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B
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BIO220LAB
5.0
(1)bio-226
5.0
(1)BIO226
5.0
(1)BIO230
4.3
(8)BIO224
4.1
(21)Difficulty by Course
BIO324
4.3
BIO240
4.2
BIO140LEC
4.1
224
4.0
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4.0
Reviews (162)
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screwed my lab partner and i over on our friut fly report!
Tough grader, but she makes you think & she's works with you in the process
funny, lots of work required, one of those profs. that cusses in class haha
A nice person,but when it comes to her tests she is quite unpredictable.I've come to beleive she enjoys taking points off for meaningless half-errors, that have no true impact on an answer.The class itself is boring and she contradicts the text often.
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She is an awesome lecturer - makes time outside of class to answer questions. Work the assigned problem sets and you'll do well!
Awesome!!!! So much fun, a great class and an awesome professor - makes time to help her students and make sure they understand the topics!
Genetics is a hard class but she goes out of her way to help you understand. Holds review sessions and has lots of office hours. Nice teacher
Really hard tests, but nice professor, really funny. Curves all tests.
funny, clear, interesting, enthusiastic, def not a bad teacher
Genetics is just hard, nothing else to it. She's a great professor, very funny and easy to talk to. Do assigned problems and go to her for help, and you'll be fine.
tough stuff, goes pretty fast. Do problems and go to reviews. Tests are very hard. She is nice and does try to help a lot.
genetics is just a hard subject. she's not bad outside of class. she comes off as cold in class, but she's actually funny (she makes fun of herself!) and really nice. she loves her drosophila! it's not what i expected but it was a nice challenge.
Dr. Halsell is a wonderful professor (and an equally accomplished gourmet:)
Dr. Halsell is a funny and entertaining teacher. She really knows her stuff, but tests are soooooo hard. If genetics problems are hard for you do tons of them at home, cause guaranteed the hardest possible ones will be on the test
i got really bored, constantly, during this class. tests aren't horrible, just be sure to study a lot.
This class is just really hard. There is no other way to put it. Study really hard and do well in lab and your best bet is C. Dr.Halsell is really cool and helpful though
Very helpful professor, butg gives hard tests.
Dr. Halsell is a great professor! The class was a little hard, but hey it's Biology! I enjoyed the class and would definately take another one with her.
GREAT Prof. teaches so well. presents the materials clearly. when you go to her office hours, she is so passionate in explaining, and walking through the steps of the problems with you. excellent!!
she is a great teacher, always willing to help and really into the subject.
Hands down, best bio prof at jmu. she makes you interested in the material and is very clear of what she expects from you. tests can be a little tough, but go to her office hours and i promise it'll pay off! I would take another bio course just to have dr.halsell again.
definitely an amazing professor for the bio department. i would definitely take another class with her, too bad i dont really like genetics. she definitely does her job extremely well.
She is an awesome and extremely nice and funny person but HARD! i have never been in a bio class with that low of averages on tests. Genetics is hard but no that hard. She is really helpful and nice but HARDDDD. i would take someone else if u want an A.
She is a very nice professor, but the exams are difficult. Both exams are essay take home tests, and she expects more because they are take home tests. Quizzes once a week from the textbook. You need to read the chapter several times to be able to do well on the quizzes. Group project that accounts for half you grade and the whole semester.
I despise this woman. The class is "team based learning" AKA spend hours reading the textbook just to come into the class and spend 7/8ths of the class being clueless on how to do a worksheet without any instruction. Then 1/8th of the class is her explaining how to do it. Sometimes she doesn't even finish explaining. Her tests are ridiculously hard
Quizzes at the beginning of class are HARD, but group quizzes make up for that. If you know how to do the in class assignments you're golden for the tests. Go to her office hours and she takes a lot of time to make sure you understand the material. She's very helpful. Textbook use is minimal, take notes on the online lectures instead
I LOVE Dr. Halsell. I had her for both genetics lecture and lab. She is very concerned about her students and is very helpful when you ask her questions. Tests are basically the in class assignments. I was worried the group based learning wouldn't be useful, but it is actually great for this class. She is one of the best professors I've had at JMU
It's group-based learning, which may work for some classes, but not this one. Genetics is difficult. Having to spend hours outside of class teaching yourself the material so you can sit in class doing worksheets with your group for an hour does not help. If I could go back and take a different professor I definitely would.
Not sure why people are saying shes a good teacher because she doesn't teach HAHAH. Completely group based class so you have to teach yourself everything. Spend the majority of class talking to my group mates or staring at each other.. never accomplished anything. I guess I learned a lot because I spend hours teaching myself the class.
Group-structured class that centers around knowledge application assignments. 3 tough tests, online quizzes, and a group project. Interesting information was presented in this class, but there is a LOT of it and it requires hard work to do well on tests. Dr. Halsell is very intelligent, but can be a little bit intimidating and rude.
She's absolutely brilliant, nice, hilarious, and an amazing lecturer (when she lectures), but I hated this class. I don't know what it is with JMU's biology department, but the group work has to stop. This class was solely based on group work all the way up until the final which was the hardest thing I've ever take. I would not recommend.
Not sure why everyone is rating her so high. Her lectures are so long and incredibly boring. Random unannounced group work assignments so you need to be in class incase she decided to assign one. The tests are hard and it doesn't matter how much you study because the questions suck. She's nice though if that makes a difference.
Extremely smart and respectable professor. I had a very hard time understanding her way of teaching and found myself teaching myself everything. Tests were very tricky and confusing, no matter how much I studied always felt unprepared.
Halsell is obviously passionate about biology, however her lectures always leave me feeling confused and clueless. Tests are nearly impossible, even with the group test. She springs Launchpad assignments on you without telling, so often you have to rush to get them done. Class requires lots of textbook reading to understand the material.
Its a new course so she didn't really know how to run it yet but even then it felt like there was no organization. Lots of online homework with little to no warning of when it was due but thankfully she gave an extra attempt for all of the people who forgot like me. Group tests are taken right after solo tests and can save some peoples grades.
Dr. Halsell is a great professor. She's patient and has no issue staying a little later to answer questions. She's extremely knowledgeable of genetics, but she's also a tough grader compared to other professors.
This course was incredibly hard! The tests are partly done in groups which boost your grade, but they are very hard.
Take her for genetics if you can! Tests are based off of in class worksheets. Super helpful if you have a hard time understanding a concept.
Dr. Halsell's Genetics class is one of the harder biology classes that I have taken at JMU. The material is hard, yeah, but the worst part is that the class is basically self-taught! She does a mini lecture once every couple of classes, which helps on the quizzes a bit, but otherwise I have taught myself everything! It is ridiculous!
I LOVE Susan. She is the sweetest lady, and you will learn a lot from her if you pay attention. The class itself is difficult, and the tests are difficult, but she loads you up with a lot of other grades so she makes it possible to pass. In my opinion, one of the best teachers I've had.
She means well & is accessible but this class is so hard. Other 140 teachers gave group tests while we had 3 tests with averages of 62.5, 55, & 57.5 & NO CURVE/extra credit. Her tests are all application and aren't covered by the textbook or lecture, tough tests is an understatement. if your'e not a bio major I would def not recommend this gen-ed.
She is very knowledgeable and helpful in office hours, but if you want to get an A, I would suggest taking a different professor.
Do not take her for BIO 140. I have juniors and seniors in my study group that say its one of the hardest classes theyve taken. Her lectures are pointless because she just points to pictures the entire time and her tests are extremely hard. I studied for 30+ hours and got a 75.
Halsell butchered my adoration for biology. As a first-semester freshman taking her class, I was ready to drop out of JMU. If it wasn't for lab counting for 30% of my overall grade, I would have not passed. I studied for a week before every single one of her exams and still did not receive higher than a 50. Very sweet and very intelligent woman.
Dr. Halsell is not easy. I like biology, and would to say like that I understand it fairly well. However, the way that the tests (which make or break your entire grade, essentially) are worded makes it almost impossible to comprehend what it's even asking. The test averages ranged from 50-65 my semester. Don't take her if you want an A.
Her lectures only make sense if you've already taken basic biology classes or if you've read the textbook before class. Otherwise, don't depend on her lectures to pass. I can't stress enough that the way she asks exam/quiz questions suck. I've read the textbook and take avid notes but I still don't understand her questions
If you go into lecture without the highest knowledge of the chapter she is going over for the day, you will be lost for the entire lecture. Weird/energetic lady and it is hard to keep focus. If you want an A, i highly suggest you do NOT take her.
Dr. Halsell was a very nice person, but not the best teacher. The class was lecture heavy and I found it difficult to stay awake. Lots of material on one test so be prepared and study! HOWEVER, your grade won't plummet after one test because you have textbook assignments, individual quizzes, and group quizzes which are all open note.
she is boring
Professor Halsell takes pride in teaching her students and making the environment fun. She is overall serious about her lecture material, but also keeps the class super funny and comfortable for everyone.
Halsell seems to be a hit or miss among students. You either love her or you don't. This class isn't easy, and she makes you work for your grade. Her tests are difficult but usually applies a curve because the averages are usually in the 60's. LOTS of little assignments to help out your grade, also lots of group work. Take her if you can.
Susan Halsell is the sole reason I am changing my major from Biology. I would like to say I understand the material, but her tests are extremely difficult and her questions are hard to comprehend. Her lectures are boring and often feel as if you have to understand the subject completely before attending the lecture. 10/10 would not recommend. :(
Dr. Halsell seemed to be passionate about the information that she was teaching, however, it was almost impossible to understand what she was lecturing. The exams did not seem like they had much to do with the lecture. Clicker points were available every class but if your answer wasn't right you didn't get full credit!!
Nice professor overall, but most of the time the exams are extremely challenging. Lecture doesn't always prepare you for the exams. She's extremely accessible and helpful in office hours though.
Don't believe what you hear about Halsell being terrible. She starts the semester by saying "I'm hard but fair" and that couldn't be more true. If you actually pay attention, do the online assignments and study before exams, its not that hard. She gets rid of unfair questions on exams and drops a few "lowest" assignments. Idk why people complain
Not my favorite. Lectures were difficult because she could barely explain things without making a mistake which would make me extremely confused. I love biology, but she made me question my biology major. Take someone else if you can, especially if you're an auditory listener like me.
Look her tests will fail you, the class average for the first test is a 53% and she was proud of that.
Dr. Halsell is super nice as a person, but not a very good professor. Her exams are extremely difficult and require a lot of studying to even understand the questions. However, there are a lot of online assignments and group quizzes that will help save your grade, along with the lab portion that counts as 30% of your final grade.
She may give tough tests but she gives huge curves. Also homework, individual online quizzes, and in class group quizzes are a big part of the overall grade. She constantly stays after class to ask questions and she is responsive to any concerns her students have. She is very sweet and obviously passionate about biology.
Dr. Halsell is a very caring woman who is passionate about Biology. Although, her lectures were often unclear and confusing. Test questions would be very in depth which was different from the way things were discussed in class. Learning objectives would not be on lecture slideshow. Best part of class were easy homework grades.
Dr. Halsell makes biology very interesting, definitely take her if you are a biology major. She can sometimes confuse herself and can't answer certain class questions in extreme detail, but tells you what you need to know. The ATP unit sucked though, but it does with any professor. Would definitely recommend.
Dr. Halsell has clearly defined assignments and grading expectations. She has frequent individual and group tests (group tests are weighted higher). You will need to read the text, especially after the first exam. Skipping lecture will put you behind. She is able to put things in context with easily understandable examples. Flexible office hours.
You really have to work in this class to come out with a good grade, but it is doable if you put in the time. Halsell is amazing and really knows her stuff. There are times when she can be confusing, but in the end it makes sense. PASS sessions are a MUST to help understand better. There is grade boosters so go to class.
Take Halsell for 140! Bio can be tough but she makes it easy to get a good grade as long as you put in the effort. All tests (even the final) have a group portion which really raises your test scores. She can be funny during lectures. Just make sure to do all assignments and read the book
Do not take this class if you do not want to teach yourself. Her lectures were so long and boring they made no sense. She does clicker questions almost every day, so missing class will eventually affect your grade. Her tests do not really correlate with lecture, so study a lot for them in order to get good grades. She is really caring though!
She is a very nice professor and tries to teach us what matters. Her tests are nearly impossible, since they all seem to be trick questions. She added a group element this year, so you do quizzes and part of the test together, but I would rather do it alone with easier tests. If you get a bad group, you'd do very badly.
Take her for 140!! The material is hard, but she makes it easier to get a good grade. There are group quizzes and also part of the tests (and final) were with your group. The lectures could get boring, but there are clicker questions that make you come to class.
Susan doesnt get enough credit. She is teh sweetest, most passionate prof i've had and explains things so well in office hours. Tests are tricky, but side assignments and group quizzes make up for it and a lot of her activities are done in groups. Only thing is she calls people out to answer questions in lecture.
Halsell is really sweet! But she really needs to do better with exams because every exam taken the average was always no higher than a 70 which says a lot about how she teaches. Even tho I did bad on all exams I still passed because she assigns things to balance out your grade for the most part but if you want an A? Well good luck.
Dr. Halsell is very cool, but I would rethink taking her class. Her tests are very difficult. They are only made more difficult by the fact that the learning objectives given don't match tests. You end up either studying way too much, but not in depth enough or too few things, but to the correct level. All in all, a very frustrating class.
Dr. Halsell is one of the sweetest and funniest professors I have ever met. She knows her class is hard so she definitely tries to do things to earn easy points to keep grades up. Her class does involve a lot of group work but it isn't bad at all.
This class is a lot of reading material. If you don't read the entire chapter before attending lecture you will be very confused. I also think she relies too much on her pass sessions to explain information, and goes quickly in the actual class. There is a lot of outside work in this class. Her tests are almost impossible.
If you are going to take BIO 140, find another professor. She may be very knowledgable about Biology, I don't know, but her lectures are pointless because she reads right off the powerpoint without going in depth and relies on PASS sessions for students to actually learn. Only useful thing in this class is the extra credit.
I had this teacher for both Bio 140 and Bio 324. She's not very good at teaching anything as she just reads off of power points every class. She seldom gives any kind of practice before exams. Especially this last semester in quarantine she didn't do anything to help accommodate students, she gave even less instruction and basically went silent.
Shes not as bad as people make her seem. Shes a pretty easy professor and if you put in the effort youll get an A or B. She does rely on the powerpoint lecture but its not too bad and PASS is an extra boost to better understand the material. She also gives extra for every exam which helps a lot !!!
Halsell is a nice person however she depends on her pass sessions to teach students, and reads off the slides for lectures. The lectures are very confusing and not worth going to. You have to read the chapters before attending class. I learned everything from reading the chapters, not from her teaching. Her tests are IMPOSSIBLE
This was the worst class I've ever taken at JMU. I worked so hard and barely managed to scrape by with a C and I'm usually an A student. She handled the switch to online classes horribly and left us all hanging for a week withouth any material. The tests are impossible and the final project was graded so harshly it tanked my grade.
She's not a bad person, but she was very dry in her lectures. When I went to her office it was pretty much "in the book" but mostly driven off of previous knowledge she did not offer. She's funny from time to time, but not worth your genetics grade.
Halsell is one of the best professors I've ever had. She makes you learn on your own, but is more than willing to fill in any gaps. Her lectures truly show that she loves what she does and wants every student to succeed in BIO. You won't pass on lectures alone so reading the textbook is critical. The so exams are hard, but there are many grades
The textbook was my best friend in this class. Dr. Halsell seems nice enough but I did not get a lot of value out of her lectures or supplemental assignments, and she assigned a lot of them. This class is doable but it takes a lot of diligence and hard work to score highly on the exams. There was also no curve, so what you see is what you get.
First off I took her lab. Lab really started to pick up towards the end of the semester but all the work is done (except for the final paper) in class. She is a very tough grader on the research paper but all the other activities are doable and will boost your grade. She is also there to help you and is happy to hear from you (but she is very busy)
This is a really hard class. Dr Halsell is nice and knowledgeable, she's just not very good at teaching. You end up having to teach yourself a lot with the textbook. She also assigns TONS of homework on launchpad, most of which I did not find helpful. At least with all the grades if you mess up on some things your grade wont tank.
I've had her for BIO 140 as well as BIO 240. She is an amazing teacher and available to meet up to go over questions. If you take her for BIO 240, PREPARE FOR THE CHAPTER YOU WILL BE GOING OVER IN CLASS BEFORE YOU ATTEND BECAUSE OF IN CLASS ASSIGNMENTS. Your grade will thank you :) (Use learning objectives as well as any work in class to study)
Definitely a weed out class. The textbook is your teacher/grader and there are lots of small/tedious assignments. Exams arent curved and the final is cumulative, but the final reuses questions from earlier exams so as long as you go back after the exams and understand why you got it wrong at least the final isnt that bad.
Professor Halsell is a little bit nice and all, but this class is impossible. Her tests are impossible and our test averages are never over a 58%. Lots of homework. Attendance is not mandatory, but she does turning point. No matter how much you study for this test using the material she provides the test will always be 12783x harder.
Dr Halsell is really knowledgeable and you can tell she cares about the subject. Her tests are very hard, but there are a lot of assignments that you can get full credit on by just completing them on time. It is a hard class, but she provides student hours and other resources to help you succeed.
Professor Halsell does her best to make the information entertaining. She engages a lot with the students and cracks a lot of jokes. If you go to her office hours you are more likely to pass because you can ask her questions on any thing you are confused on in the class which helps a lot, there are also a lot of small grades to balance out exams
I dropped this class SO fast. She assigns so much work that takes up hours of your time - so if you're like me taking 15+ credits per semester, just avoid her course. She is really knowledgeable and is passionate, so her lectures aren't flat. Study guides themselves are A LOT of work, so get started on those early.
This class was one of the hardest classes I've ever taken. The tests are really hard, but there are a lot of other homework assignments that help balance them out. She is very knowledgeable and gets excited about the material. She is also funny and tries to make lectures engaging.
I think Dr. Halsell is a good choice for BIO140. It is a really difficult course, but her lectures are really engaging and I found them to be helpful. She LOVES when students ask questions. She was also incredibly generous with curves/extra points on exams. Go to PASS, office hours, study A LOT and you'll be fine.
She is super nice and loves when students ask questions. She curses at the most random times and it's so funny. 4 exams including the cumulative final. Exams are pretty hard but she always includes a big curve, around 12 points. All hw and quizzes are online so that's nice. Attendance not mandatory but if you want a good grade GO TO CLASS and study
Overall a nice lady but couldnt teach for nothing. She expected to have some kind of prior knowledge in order for you to apply it on tests. Basically have to teach yourself which is very difficult.
A great human being; however, horrible professor. Her exams are was harder than they should be for a 140 class. She has to curve her exams 10-15 points to make the class average a 75. Be prepared to study a lot and still not do well.
Learned all the content myself, but that's mainly because I literally never showed up to class. When I did show up, the lectures were fine, a bit boring, but informative. While attendance isn't technically required, one does have to show up to class to get the code to the questions shown in class.
Dr. Halsell is a brilliant professor who can nerd out about biology sometimes during lecture. From first impressions she may not seem like the best professor, but after taking time to get to know her she truly is great. Advice: Read textbook prior to lecture, Go to lecture, ask questions, do reading guides. If you can do this you should pass.
I took professor Halsell for a special topics in biology (bio 226). Our special topic was bioethics and she is one of the best professors I've ever had. Her class was very fair and towards the end, my class and I showed up to spend time with her because she's the best!! She is super easy to talk to, and very helpful.
Dr. Halsell, tries really hard to make lecture engaging but you will not get everything you need strictly from lecture. I highly recommend reading your textbook and doing the homework problems. She's great with students and is easily accessible outside of class for extra help. The exams are not easy but you will be prepared for them in class.
The tests were always super difficult but they were basically 1 of the 5 assignments all semester. She also curved the tests to make the class average a 75% which was extremely helpful because it was always 10+ extra points on your exam grades.
She is an extremely nice human. Her exams are extremely hard for no reason. She talks to her class as if we are grad students already advanced in bio. Her exams never correspond with her lecture.
I hated this class. I can study and still fail the exams. The workload she gives is outrageous. The exams do not correspond with lectures. Our class averages for our exams were 60 to 69. She went off on us because exam 2 grades were so bad and blamed us for not doing our reading and homework. No personal responsibility for how poorly she teaches.
Dr, Halse is always available to help you outside of her office hours. It would help if you read the textbook before her lectures so you will have a clearer image of the chapter. To prepare for the exams, it is better if you do the problems at the end of the chapter (she will provide you with the solutions) and the in-class activities.
Get ready to read, read, and read some more. It's ridiculous the amount of reading she assigns! I'm miserable this semester because the amount of reading she makes us do is taking a lot of time away from my other courses. There are not enough hours in the day to get everything done with her class thrown into the mix. At least she's nice?
She has a LOT of assignments outside of class, but tests are heavily graded and HARD. The amount of assignments and readings were overwhelming. She counts participation, offering only 2 dropped absences. Lectures are simply her reading the slides, some literally fell asleep. She does not interact with students at all, making class more boring.
She does a great job of keeping lectures entertaining and makes sure to cover all material for tests. She's also very understanding if you just talk to her.
I really don't understand why Professor Halsell gets such low ratings. She really is a funny lady and wants you to do well. The class is just hard but most science classes are going to be difficult. Lots of homework and reading but it's generally helpful cause it pads your grade for when exams come around, they are difficult so the padding is nice.
Course was mostly lecture with a few group in-class assignments. She knows what she's talking about and explained the material pretty well. Office hours every once in a while helped, especially after exams. She is really helpful during office hours and will work with you. She did offer exam extra credit a few times which was awesome.
So much reading. If you want a good grade in her class be prepared to spend 4-5 hours per chapter learning the material on your own. Her lectures are pretty good and they are helpful but they get boring towards the end. It seems like her goal is to scare away biology majors.
If you're taking this class for a gen ed, don't! Literally so hard for no reason and the only redeeming quality is that she's funny sometimes and helpful outside of class. I have never done so poorly in a class in my life, and especially not a biology class. No, no, no.
If she's your option for Genetics lab, I recommend switching out asap. She does not explain the content clearly and is a harsh grader. She also can be very rude and demeaning when you ask questions about procedures and lab content. I usually get high lab grades but really struggled in this lab. The environment is really discouraging for learning.
professor halsell is a very funny and entertaining woman! she's always available to help out and you can tell she cares about her students. this class is difficult, as are many stem courses so be prepared to work hard. there are multiple weekly assignments but many of them are simple. the tests are insanely hard so be ready to study!
I thought Hasell was an incredible professor. She really knew how to explain the material and answer questions. Her class has a lot of work, but it's easy and balances out bad test grades. Her tests are easier than some of the other professors, and she is available for help at any time. Definitely recommend reading the textbook.
I'm not gonna lie to you, if you're looking for an EASY gen ed this isn't it. This class took up so much of my time but honestly it was doable if you put the work in and go to class (attendance via clicker questions is part of your grade). I liked her but the lectures could definitely be boring at times. Not a bad choice at all.
She seemed bad at the beginning but got better as the semester went on. Attendance is not mandatory but it definitely will make a difference in your grade if you show up. Made everyone laugh. Moves fast during lectures so just try and keep up but if you cant her slides are usually online. Curved the final.
Lectures are so long and boring, she's not that great at teaching or responding to questions, the only thing I get out of her lectures are her cussing 90% of the time and it's not even funny lol. Wish her lectures were a bit more professional and actually related to the content.
Her lectures made no sense and she was very hard to follow, the test averages for every test ranged from a 70-60 which is crazy. The tests were insanely hard for no reason and she also gave so many homework assignments that in the long run are the only thing that help you from not failing.
Dr Halsell is a great person, but not a great professor. This is easily one of the hardest gen ed classes offered at JMU, so if you can take something else DO IT. There are 4 exams (including a final) and they are impossible. Lectures are incredibly boring and impossible to follow if you didn't take AP bio in hs or aren't a bio major. Save yourself
lectures can sometimes be boring but she is also pretty funny and really knows what she is talking about. There are a lot of reading assignments but if you keep up with it its not too bad. If you take good notes and study, or have a good background in bio (AP bio), the tests aren't too bad.
this class was so hard for no reason- specifically her exams. I studied a ton and attended every class and still ended up doing terrible on half of the exams. the class averages were never above a 70%... she made it hard for no reason. don't take her if I were you.
As a bio major I enjoyed the amount of time that I had to put into studying for her class. If you are taking this as a gen ed I would recommend you take something else. Four difficult tests, and if you do not understand the material you will not be able to apply it. Funny and personable professor and she is very nice outside of the class.
If you have to taken BIO140, Dr. Halsell is the best professor to have because she genuinely cares about her students & is very knowledgeable on each topic covered! The tests are HARD & cover large chunks of information at a time. But, she's an easy grader and curves occasionally. You get out of this class, the effort that you put in.
Dr. Halsell is seriously the best. Very approachable inside and outside of class, easy to talk to, and cares about her students. I struggled in the class mainly because I was not prepared for first two exams which dropped my grade. There are 4 exams total- keep up with busy work/study for exams, you'll do great! Start reading guides ahead of time!
Most of the class is based on weekly readings and learning curves that she goes over in class. Throughout the semester, there are 4 difficult tests and online quizzes each week. Stay on top of your readings, go to class (it's worth it), and go to the PASS sessions. She's a caring, challenging professor who wants her students to succeed!
She's great. She's kind, a fair grader, and pretty funny too. This class is pretty conceptually difficult if you really delve into it, but she doesn't force you to do that. I would certainly take her again and I would recommend that anyone interested takes this class.
Lectures are alright and have an attendance checker and graded in-class questions. The tests are hard but if you do the readings, take notes, and study outside of class (go to PASS!!) you should do okay. She might curve your grade up, but def not down. START THE READING GUIDES AHEAD OF TIME and fill them out well- they are good for review and study
Dr. Halsell is an amazing professor. She was always very helpful with answering questions and she is funny.
Dr. Halsell's class is challenging but engaging. The exams cover a lot, so stay on top of the readings and use resources like Unstuck AI for study prep. Attend class - her teaching style makes a difference.
Dr. Halsell was extremely understanding and in this course, you get what you put into it. It was definitely challenging, but she was still a great professor.
I thought Dr. Halsell was a good professor. Ignore the people who say her class is impossible…it's a Biology class…what do you expect. You get what you put into it. Studying is very important in this class, and amongst all other STEM classes. She is very knowledgeable about the subject and her lectures can be hilarious sometimes.
Avoid! She is a great person, not a great professor! I felt like I was getting my pHD in genetics, that's how confusing and elaborate the lectures and exams were. There aren't any “easy A” assignments to help give your grade a cushion. All exam averages were a C- and she was happy with that.
She isn't the worst professor but her classes had me bored out of my mind. She occasionally throws out curses to wake the class up but it loses its effect after about a month. Great thing is she posts her lecture videos and PowerPoints which is helpful if you couldn't go to class.
Dr. Halsell is a very nice professor however, she teaches like you already know the material. I personally felt like her lectures were hard to follow and boring. I would not recommend you take her if you did not have a prior background in biology (AP BIO).
This class was difficult but solid preparation for college-level STEM courses. Dr. Halsell clearly wants to see her students succeed and provides the resources and tips to make this class manageable. 45% of grade is cushion assignments and biweekly quizzes are open book and note.
She teaches the class like we already know the details, which makes it difficult to understand the content. No offense, she is on the older side, which makes her forget some things, and is bad with technology. She also doesn't give time for questions or time to write notes—curves FINAL grade by barely 2pts when promised at least 10.
She didn't prepare us for any of the exams and they were impossible. She taught the class like we already knew the specifics and didn't go into depth in lecture but expected us to know it for her exams. Her slides are basically all pictures and she didn't explain them in the detail she expected us to know them in. Take someone else.
Susan was a very sweet lady, however the way that she taught or went over information was horrendous. She babbled a lot during lectures and went off course a lot when teaching. She also was not lenient with grading. Our exams were extremely hard and did not correlate to the lectures. She rambled on about how a C- class average is good.
She definitely is a very caring professor, but her class was way too hard for no reason. The averages on the exams were Ds and an F. Her slides are very hard to follow, as they are text heavy and I don't feel like she explains them at all. I learned more about biology in the first two weeks of physiology than she taught in a whole semester.
Very difficult professor, only 3 tests (each 15%) + final & no test prep besides hw quizzes. Questions can come from many places, hard to tell the depth of knowledge you actually need. Curved the final pretty well. Don't underestimate grade weight: everything counts. Go to office hours & get to know her. Sweet yet stern.
Honestly, best choice for BIO140. She's super nice, funny, and interactive. Yes, her class is hard, but she teaches it the best way possible, the simplest it could be. Go to class. Take notes, pay attention. Biology is a hard class. Her exams are tough but has so much cushion work.
She is great! I love her and she is a great professor! Her tests are hard because its all application questions instead of basic knowledge. A lot of outside easy 100 assignments which cushion your grades from bad tests etc. Overall awesome professor!
This rating is not accurate at all! She is amazing, the only reason her rating is so low is because the course itself is difficult but she really does her best to explain everything and is always willing to help if you need absolutely anything.
Don't be scared off by the bad reviews, BIO 140 is a difficult class but Halsell makes it a lot easier. I am not a science-oriented person at all and took it just for the gen-ed credit, and I still finished with an A. Go to class everyday and do the readings beforehand. She is fair and gives a curve on your overall final grade.
Great professor! I was hesitant at first because of reviews, but I ended up enjoying her class. Homework is due Sunday and Friday, which keeps you organized and ready for quizzes (which are fair and doable). She's approachable, answers all questions, and genuinely cares about her students' success. Highly recommend!
Super funny and sweet. This class is difficult as it is but she seems to be the best option and makes it bearable. Has iClicker for attendance and homework is laid out at the beginning of the semester.
Professor Halsell does a great job lecturing on the content of the class. Be prepared to put a lot of time studying for the exams though with class averages normally around 50s. All outside work is done on the textbook and are easy to complete. This class is just not easy, go to every lecture, take notes and would recommend going to PASS.
She is so cute and funny. Her class is hard, but overall, she is a really good professor, you just have to put in the work outside of class.
Only worth showing up if there's an in-class assignment. She reads straight off the slides that she posts on Canvas that are just digested sections of the text book. Do NOT get the text book. I have not opened it once. I pretty much teach myself everything from the slides she posts. The suggested reading homework is insanely long and unnecessary.
Lots of busy work that isn't worth most of your grade but is super easy if you focus on it while you're doing its easy small grade boost. Mostly graded on 3 exams (midterm, exam 2, final). Only 50 multiple choice questions and not the easiest to understand. Focus in lecture and go to a couple PASS lessons and you should be okay
After reading these ratings I was scared however dr halsell truly cares. Lots of outside of class work and you should start studying for exams many weeks before. Lectures can be boring but usually many clicker questions to keep you on task. Up to 4 miss classes and 2 clicker questions dropped. Ask clear questions and attend PASS. She is very funny
if you slack off in this class you're NOT going to have a good time. that being said she's one of the better intro bio professor you'll get. not a bad person by any means, but exam averages are in the 50s due to the questions being difficult. to succeed go to PASS sessions (which are more digestible than lectures imo).
She give 3 exams plus a final cumulative that honestly do not match the slides she gives. The practice questions that r “optional” help the most but it's only helpful for 30% of the exam. Get ready to teach urself. I guess she's nice too
her lectures are nothing related to the exam and she goes way too fast to even comprehend what is happening. be ready to teach yourself. exams are tough just hope for the best.
I was worried going into Dr Halsell's class based off of what I read on Rate my Professor but I thoroughly enjoyed her lecture. She is hilarious and is easy to access outside of lecture time. There are a bunch of tiny assignments that are super simple but can add up grade wise, as long as you do those its easy to maintain a good grade in her class.
A well-rounded professor overall. BIO 140 was harder than I expected it to be, but I definitely learned from Halsell, and it set my foundation for future classes well.
she curses almost every sentence, which can be annoying since we're learning biology, not at a comedian show. she taught in a way that made it very hard to catch on, its better to learn yourself. exams in person and cumulative final
On the first day of class she told us we wouldn't be able to pass her exam. she gives you a 10 page study guide and expects you to study like this the only class you're taking.
The class is overall pretty hard, especially for a beginner class and she said the first day of class that it is a hard class and it should not be taken as a gen ed class (which I did). The exams do not reflect what we learned at all and the class averages were never that good. She also made us do exam reading guides which were actually zero help.
I liked Susan as a person, but this class was incredibly difficult and she was not very clear about what content was necessary for the exams. I would take with prof BK if you can. She also wanted us to read the textbook which was way too much reading for class and a lot of it did not seem to show up on the exam.
This class is insanely hard for a Gen Ed. She expects to "guide your learning", not teach and she also expects you to work on this class every single day with the exception of saturday for "rest". I literally had to drop down to 12 credits just to be able to actually manage this class. The mean for the final exam was literally a 54. start praying.
Dr. Halsell is great but this class is hard already and I feel that she made it harder and more confusing. The textbook readings and slides are basically the same so she makes you do extra work.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
60%
Textbook Required
0%
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B
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