So smart-knows EVERYTHING! He loves teaching and it shows. Will push you to work hard, but will make you laugh out loud for the entire semester! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

he is so freakin funny!! he is soooo nice too!! his class is difficult tho. but as long as u study u should do fine. its the lab exams that messes u up. but he is worth taking. one of the best teachers ever.

So funny in lecture. Very informative and precise lecture. Exams are not difficult. Lab exams are easy, mostly memorizing. Great personality.

Best class ever. Very likable instructor and very straight forward class. He makes zoology very interesting. He is also super super sexy. -tinh nguyen

He appears to be nice, sounds to be nice ... but you'd better watch out!

Great teacher, seems to really enjoy what he does. The class isn't extremely hard, it is your typical bio class alot of memorization. As long as you study the material he gives you'll be fine.

WHEN I TOOK BIO 185, TRAVIS WAS OUR T.A.!!! WOW I FEEL OLD!!! HE WAS A GREAT T.A. THOUGH, WE LEARNED A LOT FROM HIM. HE USED TO ALWAYS STAY AFTER CLASS AND ANSWER OUR DUMB QUESTIONS. REALLY FUNNY GUY TOO, HE USED TO CRACK US UP!!!

I wonder if the posters complaining have taken other biology courses??? This class is very straight forward (should be 5 units though). Travis is nice (jollier than santa) and very helpful. Although the tests/practicum are on the tougher side, he doesn't go out of his way to make them hard or tricky. PS, didn't need the book, all lecture notes.

Travis's Bio 185 class was pretty intense. Mostly the lab practicum was the most intense part. But if you take the time to study all the taxonomy and anatomy many times, you will surely get an A or B. The lecture exams is solely based off of his lectures, so study it! No excuses for not getting a B in this class.

Not an easy class at all, but if you don't do good in it, don't blame it to your native language. do well on assignments, keep B's on exams, do extra credit, and you should get an A. Stay tunned, though, this is not a fact, and the final exam will be this week 12/15/2005. Last practica is not any harder than the other ones, REMEMBER THIS.

Travis is fair and overall this is a hard class because there is so much material to cover. But you do not have to buy the book and if you take good notes... you should do well in the class. He is very thorough during lecture. Good pace and writes good notes on the board for you to copy. He has a pleasent attitute. Just do ur work!

The final was not a mistery at all. Stuff that you're suppossed to know during the semester, that's all you need for the final. A great professor.

Not hot, but he makes you love Bio. If you don't like to study and are a bio or biochem major, you gonna realize sometime that you need to get good grades. Let this class be it. Let Travis teach you all the bio he knows. I just hope that you bit$%^*& at GWC don't keep him for too long, so he can come back to CSULB and teach me more.

he's ok... sometimes sarcastic in a not funny way. he knows alot of bio, i'm getting an A, but i really can't see why this is going to help in the future. Maybe if he could tell us? sigh.

I love this class! Though you will have to do so much work in lab, it is a fun and interesting class. Travis will make you love bio! Hes duper funny.

zoo was tough, but i actually looked forward to going to class because the intructor was real enthusiastic about what he had to teach his students. if you were born in the 80s, you will get all of his jokes, they are belly achers. "That's too RECKLESS!"

An AWESOME teacher! I love his class. It's alot of work but he teaches very well and he's funny. I recommend taking this class!

Spr07:I got A.Before finals,drop date:22A(of 40.) He is very funny,caring,knowledgeful,friendly.The most dedicated professor in my life:Sunday+ Monday Open Labs before EACH Lab Exam.Want A?:WHOLE CLASS: TEAM:TAKE TURN:TYPE LECTURE:FOR ESSAY.Lab:group study,read labbook.Writings:he READS,so:write early,recheck,PREGRADE.EXTRA:40.MEMORIZE:FINALREVIEW.

He's helpful and funny. And yes it's not an easy class, but fair don't expect to get away studying the night before the test. I love zoo, animals are great!

Great teacher!. Always helpful and very funny. The course is not an easy one but I found it very fulfilling, and with studying I did get an A. So much sketchwork in lab that it's almost an art class, but it is very helpful in the long run with remembering all the information you're responsible for (which is a LOT!) And there's a field trip too! :)

Travis is the best teacher and that is 100% true. He should teach every subject everywhere and it is a shame he cannot be cloned. LOVED HIM!!!!!!!

TRAVIS IS UNBELIEVABLE! HE IS SOO GREAT! HE'S SO PASSIONATE ABOUT THE SUBJECT! He makes the subject so approachable! Def need to study material and go to EVERY class, he relies mostly on his lectures rather than the book. If you're looking for an easier/non-major class, his Bio110 class is great and it seems like a precursor to the 185 class.

He is extremely funny and helpful. He is the best teacher at GWC. Must take it

Pretty good teacher, but a lot to memorize in this class. you have to study A LOT! He is friendly, but not when grading

Travis is an awesome teacher! He's pretty hard, his tests can get tricky but he's always there to help you but he won't just give you the answer, he'll make you think about it. Do well in his class and you'll have a solid foundation for the classes to come.

Travis is a really good instructor. The material is difficult, comprehensive, and unintuitive, but he manages to keep interest during his lectures and labs. This class is NOT easy, and you will get the grade you earned, but he's fair and will work with you if you desperately need help.

Travis was an awesome teacher. Very humorous in lectures and labs so it makes it easy for you to pay attention. He will help you if you ask him. His tests were pretty fair, though some of the questions are a bit tricky. Read his test questions, especially lab practical questions thoroughly before answering. Study is the key. Know the lecture

Great teacher. He's a funny guy, but dont underestimate the class though. his tests are kind of hard, and you have to study A LOT off the lecture notes. no need to buy the textbook. i did, didnt open it once, and got an A in the class. oh and he gives a lot of extra credit for going on field trips to san diego zoo, long beach aquarium,and sea world

Field Biology. I took this class instead of taking BIO 100, which I had previously dropped. This class only counts as 3 units though. No textbook use, just take notes off powerpoints. Review questions each week. Many field trips that you take notes about. Most people in the class where athletes that were dumb, so he curves big time.

travis is the only teacher i miss from golden west! his class is not easy.. unless you are willing to learn the material. i was the only psych major in the class, but he still made me feel like i was part of the "nerd" crowd.

Amazing professor. Not only does he teach well, he is witty and clever in his own right. When I was late: "Kingdom? Phylum? Subphylum? What time does class start?" One of the best Bio teachers in the world, I'd say.

Awesome professor, but a tough-as-hell course. I managed to get an A even though I wasn't that great in his class. Travis makes Zoo fun and funny, his lectures are not mandatory, but sucks for you if you missed them. His labs are tedious and rough but you learn things so well from them. Dissections were awesome, pigeons excluded. Amazing prof.

I am the only Computer Science major in this class. I took this class because I love animals. He is funny and extremely helpful. His class is fun but studying a lot vocabulary is not fun at all! You should study really hard for this class.

AWESOME!!!! Love this guy and he used to have this super amazing aid for his lab. You cant be lazy. Be prepared to learn a lot and work hard. Its worth it though. He is super cool and fun.

He's super awesome! An extremely funny,helpful n dedicated prof. A hard class but you'll finish the course feeling like an expert! The labs are HARD but you'll get used to the stuff after a while. Be sure to learn the stuff (esp.lab) carefully. Remember 2 follow his strict instructions for assignments! Lots of extra credits...gonna miss him!

Travis Vail is the best teacher anyone could possibly have. I have taken both of his classes and have learned so much. Everyone needs a teacher like Travis in their life. Take and learn as much as you can from him, you will not regret it!

If youre not into science, you will be after Travis. Hes the most fun(ny) professor Ive ever had, and Im learning SO much while still having fun & not stressing to death. The class is pretty easy if you show up, & all his lectures are relevant to the tests&hw. If you show up but still fail his class, you need professional help XD Travis is the best

Best teacher I have ever had! Travis made lecture fun, I don't remember anyone dozing off at all, which is a first for me. Lab was super fun! If you stay the entire lab per. and do your work, you'll get everything down. Travis has a bunch of open lab, so that you can come in and review which really helps. ALOT of EC is given.

Prof. Travis Vail where to start. An extradordinary NERD full of knowledge and fun. Helpful through good times and bad times. Don't hesitate to ask any question he will 98.9% give you an answer. I agree with everyone elses comments once you take Zoology its a life changing experience even if you end up taking it twice. Good luck and enjoy. ;)

Cool and fun class! Great teacher super fun! but it's a time consuming class and a lot to memorize! Extra credit is surely needed and lab exams are the hardest so goodluck!

Amazing teacher! I would recommend this class even if you are not a science major. His tests (particularly lab tests) are NOT easy, but he makes the material fun and interesting for everyone. Great class fun AND educational extra credit opportunities! Travis got me very excited about zoology and I learned a ton.

Travis Vail is an awesome professor, but trust me this class is super hard! There is mass amounts of studying for both lecture and lab. He does make the class fun though. This class is a huge commitment, very time consuming

Travis will help you if you ask.To be honest, he really cares about how his students progress throughout the semester.He makes the workload pretty heavy but that's the only way students can get so much out of the classes he teaches.When you go further into your college career, Travis will seem like the most lenient instructor you've had so far.

If you go to class and pay attention in lecture and lab, you will learn a scary amount of information. material is presented in a coherent, managable way. he is inflexible with grading and you do have to count points. fortunately, you can earn 4% (40 pts out of 1000) extra credit in this class. and remember to capitalize your taxonomy on practicals

Vail gives out lots of information. For lab, many of the slides can be found online so you don't have to rush lab all the time. Class requires a high amount of studying since there is so much material. You can probably pass the class with an A or B as long as you don't procrastinate on your studying and you take notes and record lectures.

I LOVE TRAVIS! great teacher. If you take good notes during lecture u will do great on the exams. There is so much work in lab so keep track and study for the stuff everyday. He is beyond helpful. overall amazing teacher and he is willing to help you with anything. attend open labs if you are having trouble.

Love love love Travis! He is by far the best professor i have ever had! He makes the class really interesting and you can tell he knows what he is talking about. Don't take it for granted though. This is NOT an easy A class. There is a lot of studying involved. btw spelling counts. I wish all my teachers were like him :)

Amazing professor! Going into his class I was dreading it, however I enjoyed it very much. He explains himself clearly and we took a ton of fieldtrips, I would recommend him to anyone

I go to CSULB and i took this class at GWC, honestly this is by far the best bio class i have ever taken. Professor Vail is amazing, he is funny, VERY organized, and very helpful.Class requires a lot of memorization but the way he presents the material makes the information stick in your head. exams are straight forward but try to A's the lab exams

You HAVE to Record his lectures to A's the class, he is amazing, loves teaching & lizards...study at least 3 to 4 days before exams, and at least a week before lab exams...getting an A is possible, and the extra credit helps for sure...(4 lecture exams, 3 lab exams, 1 big report, 1 presentation) class out of 1000 points,,,HIGHLY RECOMMEND HIM

The best professor at GWC. Hilarious, I love his jokes, and he's extremely helpful. You will get an A easily if you're good at memorizing.

Hardest class I have ever taken.

Travis is one of the best professors I've taken. The class itself is difficult but he is always available to answer questions. He gives up to 3.5% extra credit which helps a lot but you still need to constantly keep up with memorization. I highly recommend staying late (if possible) and learning the lab material each day. Helped TREMENDOUSLY.

Class was challenging, but worth the effort. I never had a hard time paying attention because of how well Travis presents the information. He actually put in effort to help you in lab and gave everyone the opportunity to stay after if you needed to. Lecture exams were straight from the notes, lab exams require a lot of memorization but were fair.

Pro's: Funny Kind Helpful Fair Extra Credit Amazing Lecture Cons Lots of content Time consuming **Get an A** Take pictures Record Lecture W a laptop or tablet you can trace picture for Lab drawings READ THE SYLLABUS AND DO THE PAPERSPROJECTS EARLY RE-EXPOSURE TO MATERIAL WATCH YOUTUBE (TRAVAIL4BIO) B4 LAB OPEN LAB ps the first lab exam kills

He is the best professor I ever had. His lectures are very organized and all of the side stories that he tells you, write it down because it helps you to memorize the "actual" materials. A lot of memorization but it is doable. Extra credits are offered. Try to take a good lecture notes. Write everything down.

Awesome and funny guy who'll make you work for that B. He gives more than any other teacher does in terms extra study material without literally spoon feeding you the test. Don't take this class for fun. Take this class if you have to and try hard and you'll get a B. Record lecture. Read lab a day ahead. Write everything down. Have fun!

Travis is an amazing professor! His teaching style is very effective which helped me get a 95% in the class. DO NOT be late turning in written reports, he will take 50% off even if it's a minute late. But as you can see I was able to achieve an A grade with such a huge loss of points. He may be a fun teacher but he is very strict with grading.

He is a really great person and a very funny and interesting teacher. However, he is the hardest grader ever. Avoid at all cost because he will rip you apart with his grading. He may actually be the hardest teacher I ever taken in my life.

I took this class in the spring semester of 2016 and it was one of the best classes I have taken at GWC. The professor was funny, but is a tough grader. He takes off points for spelling errors on the lab exams, but every thing is straight forward.

Easy-going professor who likes to lighten up/motivate everybody's moods. Takes notice if you are struggling with lab, and offers you help/instructions. Prof gives out easy weekly quizzes based on lecture-notes and/or lab. I bombed most of the quizzes, but managed to get an A as final grade due to high lecture-grade. Nice, chill man

It's possible that Travis makes the class so fun that people are lulled into a false sense of security. This class is very information dense, but there is nothing conceptually difficult about it. You need to be ready and willing to put in the time. This class is at the opposite end of the spectrum from Bio 180, so don't be caught off guard.

Travis is really nice, knowledgeable, and instructs well. But I have to be honest, his lab tests are harder than what they should be. I think if he distributed the material more evenly on his lab tests, it would be a better learning experience and less stressful. His lecture tests are reasonable though. Overall, don't underestimate this class.

He is a funny guy, however, his class is very difficult. I constantly studied so hard only to be left with a C. Lots of memorization and lab exams are tough.

Funny guy, makes class interesting. Lab exams are unfairly tested. Very hard class, lots of memorization. Never worked harder for a C in my life.

Most entertaining & personable professor I've ever had. Lectures are extremely engaging. Clearly knows his material; you will learn so much. However, lab exams are excessively memorization & detail heavy & very unreasonably weighted. Lab drawing assignments are atrociously time consuming. Excellent teacher, unreasonable grader. Interesting but HARD

difficult, get ready to put time in. take notes on everything. i learned a lot from this class. very funny, lots of jokes. teaches with good powerpoints and wants the best for his students. cant recommend enough.

Travis is the absolute BEST!! All the negative ratings on here are LIES asides from the late work policy. He is an amazing and very fair professor with extremely clear grading, teaching, and testing policies. He is one of the best teachers (if not the best) in the biology department at GWC! WOW just WOW! His class is also extremely fun and inviting

Not failing the class and not getting an A, I still think that Travis is a great professor. He will be there for you and wants you to succeed. With that being said, he will demand that you work for your grade and his lab exams are tough. Great spirit and will be there for you and makes lectures fun. Helped all of us through this pandemic.

I took online Zoology with professor Vail and learned so many things by the end of the semester. He's very chill and engaging toward his students. The class is very information heavy and you won't pass if you don't study at least 3-4 days beforehand. Lab exams are not as dense as lecture exams. My advice is to go to the study sessions with the TA.

Super chill prof that makes class enjoyable! Will make you fight for your grade. Exams are tough so prepare to study a week in advance. Lab practicum is based on models, microscopy, taxonomy, and dissections. Drops FRQ hints that will be on the exam. EC opportunities are given. 3 papers and one class presentation at the end of the semester.

Professor Vail is, hands down, the best professor I have ever had. The enthusiasm he has for zoology is contagious!! He truly LOVES what he does! He's very funny, caring, and wants you to succeed. Great professor if you are a DSPS student with accommodations. Don't expect to cruise through the course though. If you don't study, you won't pass.

Professor Vail is one of the best professors I've ever had! The quizzes were really easy, if you study prior. He also made the class fun, especially when taking notes and the labs. You can tell he's really passionate about what he does, and is also really helpful if you have a question. I'd recommend taking him !

Prof Vail is an amazing lecturer. His class doesn't have the clearest outline so sometimes he falls behind in terms of his schedule. There are 4 lecture exams and 3 lab exams, these take up roughly 75% of the grade so it is exam-heavy. The class is challenging in terms of breadth rather than depth but Prof Vail makes the class enjoyable.

Travis has been my fav college prof! His love for zoology is apparent & he's rlly clear abt what is needed to succeed. The class covers LOTS of content, so be prepared to pay attention, memorize & put in the effort. Lab exams are a challenge w/ the amt of content they cover, so get ahead on studying. exams ~75%, the rest is easy points + 5% of EC

Best professor ever. Great guy overall and he genuinely cares about the topics he teaches. His passion is infectious and I couldn't have asked for a better professor. He makes learning fun and interactive. If you take his classes, don't be afraid to ask questions or interact with him! He's extremely knowledgeable and friendly.

Class: Diversity of Organisms Professor is nice and wants you to succeed. Lecture exams are very easy (MCQ + FRQ) and lab exams are very difficult. Lectures can be messy and he often doesn't follow his schedule. Has extra credit which is a small homework assignment from the lecture from the day before. Overall great.

LOVED him. He writes down the notes on the whiteboard, and EVERYTHING you need to succeed is all on that whiteboard. Just memorize your notes, and I promise you you're all set. I got As and high Bs on pretty much all of the exams. Yes, it's challenging, but if you're passionate about animals, you'll do amazing. He's super funny and easy-going, too!