3.3
Quality2.2
Difficulty61%
Would Retake139
Reviews61%
Would Retake
139
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
41
4
23
3
28
2
30
1
17
What Students Say
“The class isn't awful”
BIO105 - 2.0 rating“Oh boy where do I start”
BIO105 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
32%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.74 avg changeRatings by Course
BIO495
5.0
(1)BIO1O5
5.0
(1)BIO183
5.0
(1)BIO106
4.0
(1)BIO105
3.4
(101)Difficulty by Course
MEA110
3.0
BIO1O5
3.0
MEA101
2.8
BIO181
2.7
BIO105
2.2
Reviews (139)
I searched this prof so I could see what others said and I decided to add him just so I could warn others. I would advise you do not take this class. While it is great that attendance is not mandatory,the tests are just impossible. He explains nothing and is obsessed with his research. Arrogant, not helpful, not clear. Just don't take his class
Gates is alright. He is kind of into his research and cheese making. You can tell that teaching is pretty secondary in his life but before you hate on him too much, know he's not such a bad dude.
I took this as an easy natural resource class, and that's what it was. His presentations at the begging of the semester had all the notes on power points but at the end you had to listen more because there was no notes on the power points, just pictures he explained. Group tests and quizzes are open notes. Test are difficult but not awful.
Professor Gates is kind of like the most interesting man in the world. He makes cheese and digs up dinosaurs along with other things. He is very passionate about his research and uses his real life examples in class whenever he can. He is a cool dude and very helpful. All group exams were open book/note and the tests were easy as long as you read.
First off he's lazy for a teacher. The TA did more work than he did and was more prompt with responding to emails. His powerpoints were pointless because they were just pictures so it was hard to use them to study. I would advise going to class because the in class quizzes will help you in the long run. keep up woth learning journals.
Professor Gates is something else. First off, he is a paleontologist and he spent a few years of his life as a cheese maker. He spends most of his time talking about cheese, sharks, and dinosaurs, but his tests are easy and open note. He will give you random group assignments but they are only graded for effort. Gives study guides for tests.
Professor Gates is really funny and enthusiastic about the things he teaches. He's very laid back, and a pretty easy grader. The projects he assigns are not always the best, but other than that the class was easy and enjoyable.
He is a very interesting guy, but sometimes we discussed things that were off-topic. Although, we got to use a 5x7 notecard on the tests, the answers weren't obvious which was frustrating. The group projects were annoying, but they definitely saved my grade. If you take this class definitely email him with questions and use office hours.
He is literally the worst professor I have ever had in my entire life. You can tell that he is smart but only discusses the subjects he likes during his lectures, and gives tests on completely different material. Do not take bio 105 with this man. do not.
He's definitely an interesting one.. lectures about things completely unrelated to biology (dinosaurs, sharks, cheese) but tests you solely on the small details of biology. Little to no homework, gives you 100% on all "in-class" assignments, but tests are relatively hard. He gives you quiz questions before the quiz and allows one notecard per test.
First, do NOT take this class at 8am. I literally skipped so much because it was so boring and too early. His lectures are bad. He's a cool person but not a great professor. He gets way too off topic and lectures about things that are pointless. Also, his tests are kind of difficult. I could not get above an 85 on any.
You can tell that he really loves science, but he is a horrible teacher. The lectures he covers are so boring and unrelated to all the textbook assignments. He only talks about things he finds interesting and does not discuss anything from the book. All tests are online, so the class is not hard at all, just be ready to suffer extreme boredom.
I disagree with most of the people on here, Dr. Gates is just a cool guy who loves science. I'd much rather listen to someone talk about their passion rather than practically read from the textbook. His tests are kind of difficult but not impossible if you pay attention to the readings and quiz questions.
If you enjoy excessive ridiculous homework assignments that have nothing to do with the curriculum, listening to boring lectures, and dealing with B.S. classes in general, then this is the class for you! For the rest of you, avoid him at all costs. The relevance of your homework assignments to what you do in class is lacking. Awful class
Dr. Gates is a genuinely cool guy. He's really nice and seems to really care about his students and takes into consideration what they are interested in and want to learn. He is very chill but tries to engage his students. Overall, the class is easy if you listen, and read the textbook. The tests are online and can be taken from home.
Professor Gates only talks about cheese, dinosaurs, and sharks. This would be great if these things were actually relevant to the class. I do not recommend taking this class, at all. There is a quiz each week online and 4 online tests. Clicker points are important also so even if you don't come to class log onto tophat. But do not take this class.
Professor Gates only talks about cheese, dinosaurs, and sharks. This would be great if these things were actually relevant to the class. I do not recommend taking this class, at all. There is a quiz each week online and 4 online tests.
Mr. Gates sometimes gets a little carried away if you ask him about dinosaurs or sharks but he's a cool guy. Attendance isn't mandatory but there are clicker points that you could miss if you don't go. There is a 5 question quiz every week online and he shows you the questions in class. Tests are also online and can be taken outside of class. EASY
I honestly really enjoyed this class and him as a professor. Science is not my strong suit but this was one of my favorite classes this semester. Mr. Gates was really easy to talk to, I never felt like I was annoying him by asking questions. There is a quiz every week but he gives you the questions ahead of time. 10/10 loved this class.
Literally the best professor I've ever had. He actually cares if you understand things or not. He listens, teaches well, and is funny. He respects his students and will give you the grade you deserve. I've taken 5 classes with him.
Amazing professor. Makes complex topics easy to comprehend. Respects his students and where they are coming from and he's always willing to help if you need it.
Professor Gates was absolutely awesome. He was super funny and made class enjoyable even at 8:30 am. He makes it clear what you will be tested on so you will be prepared. I would love to take another one of his classes.
Dr. Gates was a fantastic professor, he made biology really interesting and I actually enjoyed coming to his class, despite it being at 8:30. He used to be a cheesemaker and shares that when he teaches. He's hilarious and lets you take your tests and quizzes outside of class if you want. The tests were half and half with the lecture and textbook.
Dr. Gates is an awesome teacher who makes biology super fun and interesting. His tests are online so they are a total breeze. It's pretty easy to make an A.
He is an amazing teacher. He treats students with respect and if you have questions he answers them very well. Also he is amusing and is one of the teachers that doesn't mind if you pick at him a bit.
Dr. Gates would be a great teacher... if this were a geology or paleontology class. Dr. Gates is a paleontologist who is playing biologist. I can't say I've learned a whole lot of biology in this class. If you like dinosaurs and evolution, then this class is for you. That said, the class structure is simple-- just do well on the tests.
What you learn in class is not relevant to the tests, making them somewhat difficult.
Good, funny guy. Pay attention in class and you'll be fine. Some things on tests were in the textbook, but really you'd be okay just going to review sessions. Tests had to be taken at DELTA inside a week timeframe. Class structured around a project about tree biodiversity and ecology, which wasn't graded harshly.
Supposedly, this was Dr. Gates' first time teaching 181 (I heard he normally teaches non-science major intro bio courses). The class was easy, but I didn't feel like I learned anything. Coined his own term that is important to grasp at the beginning of the class. Generally, he likes to talk and sometimes it is irrelevant.
Gates cares about his students and is great to talk to. He is lecture heavy and tends to ramble, which means he is leaving out information that is actually pertinent to tests. Basically just study the textbook and you'll be fine. You don't have to go to class to pass his BIO 105.
Do the readings. He's an accessible person and he gives you a lot of small assignments which are kind of weird/unusual but they will save your grade. Tests are long (50-65 q) so do the test review. He expects you to read the textbook; attendance isn't graded but I would recommend it because in class he gives you quiz questions to review beforehand
Terry is a really chill guy, but gives lectures just about every class, which can get pretty boring and vary off topic (he likes to talk about dinosaurs a lot). If you pay attention and takes notes you should be fine. He will answer questions nicely but his tests can be tricky and range outside of in-class and textbook notes.
A teacher that can have interesting lectures but easily goes off of topic. Make sure you read the book and you won't have to go to class.
Gates is a pretty chill and likable guy for the most part. He goes off topic A LOT but some of it may show up on a test so attend class (he's very specific about wording on tests). Use those notes, online powerpoints and quizzes to study for tests and you'll be fine. He throws in random questions that most people don't get usually
Liked him at first, but that quickly wore down as the weeks passed. Can be late to class often and I don't feel like I learned a lot. The tests have some questions that are missed by almost everyone.
You can tell that he cares a lot about the subject and about his students, but his teaching style may not be suitable for everyone. We have weekly quizzes but in order to get the quiz questions beforehand, you have to attend class. You have to study for the tests but you can bring flashcards and the questions are often recycled from quizzes.
Tests are based on textbook material, and he doesn't make them until the night before, so good luck figuring out what will be on it. We had a semester long group project and didn't get grading criteria until about 3/4 of the way through the course. Disorganized, basically winging it. Good if you want a discussion based lecture instead of structure.
He's a really cool guy really passionate about the material. There's not a lot of structure. His lectures are very roundabout he talks about sharks, dinosaurs, and cheese very often.
ooh terry where do i begin. He loves evolution and teaches that the whole entire semester (Bio181). All the other Bio classes were learning way different information than our section and the things we did in the lab didn't correlate to the class because of that. He doesn't make the tests until the day before it opens online and doesn't review well
He does not review well for tests. The tests are pretty much all from the textbook and have little to do with what he lectures on. He is so disorganized and the semester long group project we did was pretty pointless.
He is not clear about what he's looking for on tests and essays and gets very off topic. Funny, passionate guy but i just don't like his teaching style. You get an index card for each test though and you get four for the final. The final was not hard and was actually the highest grade i had gotten on one of his tests.
Gates is a cool guy, but should not make major directed Bio. He talked way too much about dinosaurs, and going to his lectures was pretty pointless because we never talked about anything too important. He had a lot of easy assignments, but his tests came solely from the book.
Gates is a great professor for people who aren't science majors. He makes the topics interesting and relate to real life. His lectures are very entertaining however he does tend to get off topic on occasion. His tests have lots of questions but if you do the readings they are a breeze.
Terry is a real character. He rarely ever takes attendance (when he does he tells you which days he will) and his tests are fairly easy. He seems to be very passionate about his field of work, but all he ever covers during lectures are facts about cheese, sharks and his love for sexual selection (stuff that will never be on the actual tests)
Great guy, more of a paleontologist than a biologist but he still is a good teacher
Gates is a great professor and passionate about the subject. However, anyone looking to really learn to prepare for BIO 182 should not take. Attendance is rarely taken and and tells you when he will. Very smart. Lectures don't really apply to the fairly easy test. Learned a lot about a little bit of things, but not a little about a lot.
Professor Gates loves Biology and is very intelligent, but that does not make him a good teacher. He lectures for about 90 minutes about highly irrelevant to the test things- like dinosaurs. The tests are not very difficult, but you have to predict what will be on the them on your own.
If science isnt your strong subject this probably isnt for you. Hes very vague when asked a question, if you want an answer you need to be very specific about what you want to know. His PowerPoints arent very helpful if you have to refer back to things youre better off recording the lecture unless you take really good notes.
Oh boy where do I start. If youre planning on taking this class, get ready to teach yourself for the whole semester and use external sources for preparing for tests, because hardly 30% of what he teaches in class is on the exam. All he does is talk about dinosaurs and evolution, PowerPoints are 70% pictures (just pictures, no explanation).
This class makes me feel so many ways. You get a notecard on the test which is nice... but necessary bc you will learn nothing in this class. He gives you a dumb group project where he assigns you a tree... I guess bc he's too lazy to do his own research? Instead lets a bunch of 18-20 year olds give him incorrect data... The class isn't awful.
One of those professors that cares, but doesn't know how to teach. He tells you on the first day of class that it isn't his job to teach you, but makes up some long explanation of what he thinks his job description is and it makes no sense. Either way you don't learn. He also makes you buy a book that he treats like his Facebook page. Good Luck
Gates loves science and so funny but he isn't the best professor. Quizzes every weekend, talks about irrelevant content during lectures, made us pay $30 for a textbook he wrote (which has poor grammar and isn't peer-reviewed), makes his tests the night before, and gives you vague answers to any question you ask him during review days. Good luck.
Smart guy, but only learned about three things in his class. Learned about evolution, how to calculate biodiversity, and that human males are the only animal with an external genital. His lectures are usually unrelated to the materials on the test and while he lets you use an index card it was rare for me to utilize it during an exam.
Smart guy, but he has no idea how to teach. 80% of the class is spent doing his research for him, and it never has anything to do with the material that you're supposed to be learning. You will never get a straight answer if you ask him a question. He makes the tests the night before. Be prepared to teach yourself.
Dr. Gates is a nice man, however I do not think he taught the course well. Often times reading did not relate to what we talked about the next day, and the reading never had due dates, so it was hard to understand what had to be done. The questions in the reading were bad, such as "draw an alien"and made me question my sanity.
Terry's obviously a very smart person who cares about what he's teaching. However, his manner of teaching is extremely unorganized, and he constantly jumps around from one subject to another. The tests are extremely unpredictable, and look as if he made them the night before. It's hard to know what to actually study.
Gates is an interesting person and extremely smart. However, as a professor he is not too great. He talks about random things & tries to have us do activities (like look at a tree all semester) but none of it actually helps or relates. He genuinely wants people to understand the material but the course is just a mess. Tests are so unpredictable.
Terry, Terry, Terry. This class was definitely challenging in that the content never connected (one minute you learn about the fossil record and the next cancer). If you aren't a science person good luck Charlie because you'll end up having to teach a lot to yourself. Not a fan.
Gates is a really awesome professor, and his class isn't bad at all if you pay attention and take notes in his lectures. The textbook did have information in it that wasn't gone over in class, so that was definitely important to have, and the class was structured around a semester long project all about getting to know a tree.
Textbook used but not helpful or useful overall, little to no clear grading criteria, syllabus was a google doc so he could change assignments when necessary, rarely had set due dates, exams weren't difficult but material covered was inconsistent, very nice and really tries hard but he's much more knowledgeable about geology/earth systems than bio
Weekly quizzes, dropping lowest two. Two tests and a final that are mostly made up of super easy quiz questions (plus you get notecards in the tests and finals). Easy A and attendance is taken but doesn't affect grade (aside from tophat points). A good way for CHASS or PCOM majors to get science GEP.
The tests are based all on the textbook that Prof Gates wrote. He's a nice guy, but the lectures are unimportant if you read the textbook. Not an awful class, but not great either
Gates is clearly a smart guy and loves science but he is not the best professor. He jumps around from topic to topic and isn't clear on what he teaches. I honestly just couldn't keep up. We learned more about geology than we did biology. Make sure you answer the tophat questions because if you don't they will take a chunk out of your grade.
terry is fun but messy. the study guides hardly ever covered anything on the tests because he wrote tests the night before. lectures were fun but rambly. He uses TopHat so you have to buy a single -use code, though he tries to keep it cheap. He's super nice and fun and his class was easy. If you want in-depth, serious learning, don't take gates.
lectures are disorganized. he confuses himself, it seems, and then often has to start over, which confuses us. he is smart in geology but his biology teaching skills are sub-optimal. past semester he had an awfully rude TA. Didn't learn much at all. But hey, at least we get to use notecards on the final exam.
Tests are in-class but on the computer, and they consist mainly of multiple-choice questions with a few fill-in-the-blank or matching questions. I studied the night prior to the tests and received A's on every test in the class. I got a B+ in the class tho due to forgetting about a couple of quizzes or tophat assignments.
He was a good professor, has pretty heavy lectures but theyre super interesting if you actually pay attention. Uses his own textbook which was actually cheaper than anything Ive bought from the bookstore. A really nice and funny guy. As long as you take notes and pay attention, youll pass.
Gates is super passionate about Biology. This makes him a pretty great teacher. Unlike most of my other classes in year one, the lectures here were not boring. They were actually pretty interesting to a guy that hates science altogether. The tests were a bit challenging, but if you study you should be just fine.
He's a fun character and makes lectures interesting. That being said, he is not the most accurate or thorough teacher. There were a lot of logical fallacies in what he said, and he was not very openminded about other viewpoints. If you're looking for a SUPER easy A, take his class. If you're really interested in Bio, I'd find another professor.
Dr. Gates is very helpful and funny. I took his class for BIO 105 and he had very fun, engaging lectures.
Gates is super passionate ab Biology. He writes his own textbook and you have to follow it, even if some parts are inaccurate. He does get off topic during lectures and like to talk ab Dinosaurs. This is one of the easiest classes I've taken. Take this class if you want minimal work and an easy A
Incredibly understanding during tough times. Overall fantastic professor.
I really liked his class. It was pretty easy if you pay attention and ask questions. He's super knowledgable and really easy to talk to and an overall cool guy. He lets you use a notecard during tests which is really nice and he keeps the class interesting.
Professor Gates is very passionate about helping students learn biology concepts, but often gets distracted and is unorganized in how he presents the material. We had a 5 question quiz every week, textbook readings most weeks, and open-note tests. Overall, I can't complain because it wasn't terribly difficult but the lectures were hard to follow!!
Professor Gates is the actual best bio professor. ever. I was worried about biology being really textbook heavy, but I did Modern World with Gates and he mades it really understandable. More like a big discussion than him lecturing at us. Also his doggo Huxley is the most precious. If you like chocolate cake, you'll probably enjoy Gate's class.
Professor Gates was an amazing professor. I really enjoyed the lectures and his attitude during class. Super involved with students and cares about each of them!
Terry Gates is the man. 5ish questions each week in the textbook (not due until the end of the semester, but will add up if you put them off), weekly quizzes (he sends the questions out before the quiz is due), and 2 exams make up your final grade. During class he never seemed to have any type of plan and would ramble on about anything.
Terry tries to be a cool professor, he spends the lectures conversing with a few students on things not related to the course. The textbook you have to buy is written by him and never did I look in it. The class is so easy, but I got annoyed that he spent more time making friends than teaching. Take this class if you want an A, but no takeaway.
This class was okay. I enjoyed that Dr. Gates related most of the material to modern day issues, as it made it a bit easier to understand. However, the lectures themselves were pretty disorganized and hard to follow at times. Dr. Gates is very kind, and you can tell he is passionate about these subjects, but we went off topic pretty frequently.
This class is so easy. I always attended on zoom but I honestly did not need to. During class, he just rambles and does not really teach. He writes his own books and that is what the tests are based on. All of the answers are online. If you are in person, I would recommend going and studying but if it is online, just look up answers online.
Everything is about EVOLUTION.
I loved Professor Gates, but wasn't a fan of Biology in the Modern World. Show up to class, or don't, but make sure you get all of your assignments and quizzes done. If you do these things then you're sure to pass.
Great and kind person, seriously so sweet... But not the best professor. Lectures are boring, too easy, not at all challenging, and seemed like a waste of time. It's hard to say because he is so NICE, but I wouldn't take him again.
Dr. Gates approaches subject material in an equally entertaining and informative manner. Our midterms came in the form of group project presentations, which I enjoyed it very much. I am grateful to have learned under this wonderful instructor. Easy A where you can't help but learn without even trying.
Terry Gates is just that guy! Super easy class that is mostly on quizlet! We did one day of zoom and one day in class. Attendance is not mandatory just make sure to keep up with your work cause it is all due the last day of class! Our tests were individual projects on a list of topics!
Terry gates was awesome. He really cares about his students mental health and makes the class easy enough to where you get something out of what you put in. Most of the stuff is on quizlet, but he does write his own textbook. Everything is due on the last day of the semester which was also clutch. If you want an easy A take him.
He is a very kind professor, and overall, the class mainly consists of busy work. If you keep up with the work, you should be fine.
Super sweet and overall great proffessor. He assigns work usually each week and there are weekly quizzes.
I like Terry Gates as a person, but not as a professor. His class feels like there is no structure and we don't learn from the lectures. I learned more by reading the textbook myself. The classes felt like a waste of time. But, Terry is a very kind person.
I absolutely hated this class. He didn't have a course schedule so we just made our own? I didn't benefit whatsoever from this class. He uses his own textbook which is wrong somewhat often. He tends to ignore students when they point out something being wrong. He acts like he's your friend, but it's really lame. It's an easy A but it's not useful.
Honestly, Dr. Gates is so kind and honestly an enigma of a guy, but the class was pretty much useless. I'm lucky I got him because it'll boost my GPA, but if you're looking for an engaging class don't go for it. BUT 100% easiest A I've ever gotten in my life. NO TESTS EITHER!
Disorganized. The class is hilariously easy, though. Claims to care about students' anxiety, but his lack of a clear grading procedure regarding Tophat is infuriating. Sometimes says attendance isn't mandatory, but then counts Tophat attendance codes as part of your grade. Can't overstate how incredibly easy the material is, though.
Mr. Gates is not a bad professor. Many people in my class gave bad reviews, but they never took the time to look at what he gives us. He is clear what the class is like and what is required to do well. No tests and very chill grader. Lectures are good but a bit disorganized. I would strongly ignore the negative reviews and 100% recommended him.
Profesor Gates is very disorganized in both his lectures and his assignments. He spends more time rambling about tangential topics barely related to the course material than he does teaching the class. He then acts bewildered if you mention that he didn't explain anything on the quizzes. Do not take this class if you actually want to learn biology.
Dr. Gates is super caring and very easy-going. This class has no tests and he's very clear in his instructions. Quizzes are easy and so are the two presentations. The only thing is that he seems upset when we have questions about things he didn't thoroughly explain. He tends to ramble sometimes but he's very nice and easy to get in contact with.
Dr. Gates is an exceptional person, while not the best professor. The course schedule is disorganized and his lectures wander off topic. This class was an easy A, but frustrating when it came to finding answers to quizzes. He writes his own textbook and it's not the easiest to navigate. Overall, I enjoyed the class because Dr. Gates is a nice guy!
Gates is a good guy who cares about his students which makes him a good professor overall. His class is pretty easy as there are no exams and finals and there also are opportunities for some easy extra credit. But for the course, it could be pretty disorganized and boring. His lectures can be very random and boring.
I took it this summer and I am so happy I took it with him. The class is easy, he tells you the quiz questions beforehand and the presentations are easy and don't require speaking in front of the class. Don't listen to the negative reviews this was the best bio class and an easy A.
The class was not too hard. As long as you go to class and pay attention you will do well on the tests. Homework was not too hard. He used his own textbook that he wrote so it was not too expensive. He also offered some extra credit opportunities.
Professor Gates is very caring and is an easy grader. Students have ability to learn about what they want (if it is relevant to the course). Loves student's take and is very approachable.
So easy. And great teacher almost impossible to do bad. Can be boring but you don't have to go to class
Coolest teacher I've ever had. He teaches a little unorthodox, but it's because he wants his students to learn and to enjoy the class. I cannot recommend Mr. Gates enough. Take any and every class of his.
This class was very easy if you did the textbook questions and quizzes. Terry Gates provides interesting lectures and not just typical biology topics. Weekly open note quizzes, occasional homework assignments, and tophat questions from the textbook. If you complete all of the work, you will get an A. Gates is a good professor and easy to talk to.
Do not take this class if you actually want to learn about biology. Amazing guy, the class was extremely easy.
Terry is a very caring individual, he gives long lectures about topics that students want to hear. The exams were all presentations graded by peers. He talks a whole lot but its easy to see he cares about his students. He makes a lot of jokes and is overall very fun to be around.
Dr. Gates has lengthy lectures and you rarely get out early, but he cares a lot about his students and wants everyone to succeed. There were only a couple of group activities during the semester. The two major grades were personal presentations and overall very manageable class. The textbook is one he wrote himself and very easy to understand.
He is a very unique teacher who isn't really a biologist but more of a paleontologist. He uses his own textbook and the class is an easy A if you do all the assignments on time. Great teacher for if you need a Natural Science Credit.
Literally changed my life. Just do the work, I know we don't want to sometimes, but he is so good. He cares, and if you listen with an open mind and give class a chance, you will be changed. Take his class for Bio 105, awesome experience. I cried during the final lecture, I was moved. I will forever see life differently.
I'd highly recommend taking a class with this professor! It was a very easy biology class if you do the work. The lectures were lengthy, but very there were very minimal assignments. This professor really cared for his students. If you have to take BIO 105 please take it with this professor!
class is very easy and all tests are online.
Terry is an amazing guy. there was no tests throughout the semester instead we had projects in which we could choose the topic as long as we could explain how it related to biology. we then presented the 10 min presentation over zoom to 4 peers and the peers graded this material. the quizzes he also gave us the ? prior so we could know them before.
Easy class but very disorganized. - Th
Too disorganized. - Lecture topics are chosen at random - Assignments are on two different platforms and often go unmentioned - Slides are usually random images - Talks are boring, as they're long rambles of those images - There's no course schedule - "Textbook" is written by him and is moreso dialogue Great guy but the class is a waste of money.
Super easy class. Quizzes answers are on quizlet and his grade is mainly on that and his own textbook questions/ presentations. So super easy A.
Dr. Gates is AWESOME! Very easy to get an A and you can tell he is so passionate about his students and what he does. Definitely take this course if you need a bio/science credit!
I took Dr. Gates class the first semester of my freshman year and it was a good move from high school to college. Dr. Gates is extremely caring and will lecture about what his students want to hear. Your biggest grades are your 2-3 presentations that are graded by your peers.
Dr. Gates is a very fun professor. He doesn't take attendance, but it is strongly recommended to attend. Sometimes he is all over the place in discussion, but it isn't hard to do well in the class.
He doesn't believe in exams so instead you will have weekly quizzes. They are online, open resource, and usually on quizlet. He assigns weekly readings that are on the quizzes and discussed in class. Class isn't required and is very much an open discussion student lead kinda class. He wanted to teach what we wanted to learn. Easy A+
Professor Gates is one of the best teachers I have ever had. For Bio 105, if you just show up to class and listen, it is an easy A-.
This class was easy, but so boring. Terry is nice but he is all over the place. It consists of so much busy work but no exams. Quizzes every week but sometimes would get canceled. Lecture is optional (I missed a lot). We had a final presentation but our table members graded us over Zoom. Super easy just not interesting.
Dr. Gates is super chill and easy to talk to. I'm in his class early in the morning and he has a good energy that makes the morning not awfully slow. There are not many assignments, and many are relatively relaxed--but don't take that as a sign of being able to slack off. I'd say to take a class with him if you're able to.
Easiest BIO class, loved it!
Dr. Gates is a very relaxed professor, and the class wasn't bad itself. He provides 12 weekly quizzes, and two get dropped. Attendance isn't mandatory but recommended for note check-ins throughout the semester. Some assignments took a lot of time while others didn't. Put in normal effort into this class as you would for any other, and boom! Easy A.
I have a hard time describing how I feel about Dr. Gates and his class. He's a very kind, passionate man, and he's pretty funny, too. However, he is literally all over the place and spends every class talking about absolute nonsense. This class just felt very pointless, and it was at 8:30 so going was a struggle. It wasn't for me, but not too bad.
Not a good professor, easy grader.Goes on tangents often, complains about his students to other instructors during class.Assignments are irrelevant to evolution and instructions are confusing. I'm sure you have to take this class to graduate, to which I say good luck. His background is paleontology so be prepared to learn nothing relevant from him.
He is great!! You will not regret taking this class, really kind and cares about his students. The class is really easy and if you show up, do your work its an easy A. Lots of interesting and engaging lectures!
Professor Gates' BIO105 is an easy A, but the class can be disorganized at times. Using tools like unstuck AI alongside the textbook helped me stay on top of the material. Overall, an enjoyable intro biology course.
Amazing professor, he made sure lecture was fun and let us choose what topics we wanted to learn. You have 2 projects on biology but you can choose anything! Would definitely recommend if you just need to fulfill a credit.
Not great for 106 Lab. His TA's run the in person classes and have absolutely no clue what is going on. I once asked my TA for help on an assignment and she gave me the WRONG INFORMATION and I failed the quiz. They do not start grading until end of semester, and there is little/confusing instructions on everything. You can get by, but difficult.
I took the BIO 106 Lab, the TA was the one who did the in-person labs. She explained the material decently, however, some of the assignments can be confusing and long. However, a pretty easy and manageable lab.
Dr. Gates had his moments, there were some classes that were fun and engaging, others were as dull as a doorknob. It didn't help either that his lectures were first thing in the morning. I did enjoy the class though and the content was interesting. It's very easy to get an A just put in regular effort. Graded by quizzes and two projects.
Dr. Gates is a genuinely pleasant individual, but I did not enjoy his lectures as they were often nonsensical... Assignments were easy but instructions were notoriously confusing. Moodle page was unupdated and if a student had an issue he would say he would fix it but never did. Easy GPA booster but overall unenjoyable.
Dr. Gates is a genuinely pleasant individual but his lectures are often nonsensical. Assignments were easy, but instructions were notoriously confusing and included content we had not covered yet. The Moodle page was also unupdated and hard to navigate. When a student had a problem, he said he would fix it but never did. Easy GPA booster at best.
Terry is terrible at providing class structure. The lectures don't follow any sort of syllabus and barely align with assignments such as quizzes and homework. While initially the laxness of the class seems like an advantage it becomes difficult to manage and find course work because of the sloppiness of the professor. Good GPA boost.
Nice class; the worst part was getting up at 8:30 to go, since attendance was mandatory. Class doesn't have the best structure, Moodle and assignment-wise, so if you are a person who needs structure like that, just a heads-up. Easy A if you do the assignments and come to class often.
Terry is the best prof ive ever had. If you arent a bio major take this course. He allows you to learn what ypu want instead of meaningless things he knows you dont care about. All of the quizzes are online and the final project was extremely easy!
He would arrive to class just on time or sometimes late (even for the final) and he was all over the place when giving lecture. His part of teaching was not as organized. The class itself had assignments that were not too bad, but the TA wanted to be nitpicky and would take points off and not explain why. No exams, but have concept maps.
Some of his lectures can be long, but he genuinely wants you to succeed in his class. Not much to do outside of class other than quizzes and top hat questions. The final project is fun; you get to choose what you want to do it on/ how to present it. Take his class; he is very passionate about his teaching, so you will actually learn useful stuff.
very easy class. do the work, follow instructions, you'll do great. but lecture is terribly boring. it's an 8:30 class, and he talks about nothing the whole time. he goes on tangents and talks at 0.5 mph. if you need help with anything in the class go to dr. schroeter or the TA, because he says he will work on an issue but he never does.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
32%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.74 avg changeRatings by Course
BIO495
5.0
(1)BIO1O5
5.0
(1)BIO183
5.0
(1)BIO106
4.0
(1)BIO105
3.4
(101)Difficulty by Course
MEA110
3.0
BIO1O5
3.0
MEA101
2.8
BIO181
2.7
BIO105
2.2