I can't believe the previous review - This guy is good.

No Comments

know evolution...its his specialty

Dr. Worthen is a great professor. If you care at all about biology, and actually want to learn something about it, you'll enjoy his class. I had to study a lot, but he's always more than willing to help you understand the material if you ask.

Dr. Worthen is so great! Evolution, well, yes, he taught that to us, but that's sort of because it's the founding principle of biological science as we know it. It's not a class about belief, it's a class about scientific fact.

Dr. Worthen is a great professor and his BIO 16 is a great class. Test are hard, but you learn a lot.

Really nice guy and helpful, but boring. All you do is copy notes of the board and memorize over 20 pages of notes for each test. Not a concept class, more a memorization class.

America and humans are overconsuming, biohazards with no concern for the rest of the planet...but this class is good

Dr. Worthen is a brilliant professor. The best bio professor taken so far. Period. Furman students need to listen up and start to respect the environment, cease driving their ridiculous SUVS.

Great teacher, friendly always, and cheerful spirit... the class is still a challenge... Worthen is awesome, but it's totally a weed-out class

Class notes are pretty much worthless. Just try to pay attention to the lectures so the notes he puts online will take less time to learn later. His tests come completely from the online notes. Lots of memorization. Explains stuff better in his office.

He is a very helpful and nice teacher- very personable. If you're not an evolutionist, it will drive you up the wall, but its not that hard. He's harsh on creationism and creationists, but you can deal- just be respectful.

Don't buy the book! Tests come straight from online lecture notes - ie: DO THE STUDY QUESTIONS! Those are the questions on quizzes/tests. Lecture is boring. If you study hard you'll make a B. Not impossible, but not an easy class...

There is alot of info to learn in this class but "Wade Wizzel" will help you if you go to him for help. His quizzes and tests are fairly hard but just study his online notes everyday..you don't really don't need the textbook.

There is a LOT of info given in class and the tests are hard...but umm...we are in college!! He properly teaches evolution!! Yay for that!! Lab exam is death but overall I really like the course!!!

Bio 11 with Worthen is the most worthwhile class you will ever take. He is a very intelligent man, and very passionate about his profession. I reccommend it for anyone with a lot of time they are willing to donate to studying. With all of that said, it's hard as hell.

People who say Worthen is not helpful, obviously did not ask him for help. Test questions are VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD, and the detailed answers are in notes online. The hard part is the amount of information. The lab test will probably screw you over too, so really pay attention in lab.

Worthen is a great guy with a great personality. His class sucks and he makes his test entirely to complicated. It's possible to teach a class and be straightforward. Avoid class if you can't dedicate endless hours of studying.

Really nice guy, really hard class. Gives good notes but tests are REALLY bad. You must devote a lot of time to studying, but if you interested in this stuff it's not that bad. I really enjoyed this class. He made material intersting a fun to learn. Pay attention to labs for lab exam!

Dr. Worthen approached biology in a sensitive, engaging, and entertaining manner! Anyone who criticizes his general bio class as being too focused on "evolutionary history" (i.e., previous raters on this site) needs to reconsider the foundations of biological science. A meaningful, great course!

If you pay attention in class and review class notes every few days, you should do well. Compared to other classes, there's not any more information, but every bit of information he gives you is important. You will learn a lot if you decide to, and it's presented in a very interesting way.

if you are pre-med, TAKE HIM. You'll be forced to learn everything & know it very well, but it's worth it. his notes are online & he gives you study questions. if you do those, you'll do fine on the tests. he curves at the end & is reasonable. if you do horribly on one quiz, he will curve @ the end.

very enthusiastic about what he's teaching, and a good teacher (notes online are very helpful), but be warned: there is a huge emphasis on evolution, and he treats creationist like it's a dirty word

Great professor. There is a lot of information to learn for the class so it can be seen as hard...lots of studying necessary. I like how he emphasizes evolution...and he has all of the facts to back him up, he doesn't just sit up there making things up! You don't need the book...he puts expanded notes online!

Great professor, his lectures are very engaging, he approaches the subject with alot of enthusiasm. It's a tricky class cause there is a ton of information but he makes it as easy as possible by posting his lecture notes and study questions online. you'll rarely need to use the book, everything you need to know will be in the lectures.

Okay, so definitely a LOT of material to study. Don't buy the book and make sure to study the online questions and lecture notes. Labs are long but not too much work. Grade is based solely on tests/2 quizes/exam. He's a really nice guy and very passionate and smart. I learnt a lot and would recommend him for science majors

I'm not do well in the class but he is an amazing professor. He really wants you to learn the material. He is very helpful. Don't buy the book. Seriously don't buy it. Just study his online lectures and answer the study questions every night. If you are premed take him... you will do better in the long shot.

Good teacher and great guy. He will take time to help you with any problem you may encounter. You can also find him working out so accessability is never a problem

He loves teaching but this class for non majors was taught to a standard bio 11 class. this made it more difficult and a lot of people did poorly. But he always gives second chances and is always willing to help.

took him for bio 16, but the class seemed more like 11. nice guy, smiles a lot in class and seems to love teaching, but this class was tough, and it seemed like lots of the students had problems. much more work than necessary for non-majors class. i didnt even open the textbook...all notes and slides put online.

He's very excited about what he teaches...tries to make corny jokes during class and labs, but we can forgive him for that. He's very willing to help.

Dr. Worthen is the best biology professor I have had. His class is fairly difficult but is very interesting. You will not use the book...seriously...don't buy it. Doing the study questions are a must. I would recommend getting a tutor who previously had his class.

one of my favorite professors, not to mention funniest and entertaining - you can tell he loves teaching (esp. evolution) and is always willing to help! this class was a lot of work and you HAVE to put in a lot of time studying for tests, but an A/B is attainable.

Dr. Worthen rocks! Unless you ask a question at the beginning of class, don't expect anyone in class to talk. Worthen is an animated speaker and a great artist- he can draw great freehand diagrams of plants and animals alike. Labs are very easy. Watch out for tests; questions tend to be broad, but are looking for a specific answer.

The man

Very nice prof but don't expect any easiness on grading. Asks ridiculously detailed questions. I would suggest having a very strong background in bio before attempting this course.

pretty awesome teacher i must say. He really loves what he does and it shows. Extremely animated and pretty amusing at that. The class however was not easy, and even though i came out with what was an average grade i still really like the professor. He is that kind of guy.

He provides study guides and power points on line, print them out!!! Study them, they are sacred. Know diagrams and processes. If you haven't had Biology for a while you'll want to brush up and use the book and study guides to your advantage. Awesome, cool guy. He knows his stuff and loves it, tries to make you love it too. Difficult tests.

He has so much zeal for biology. He gives great examples that are interesting and applicable to the material. No homework, but he does expect you to do the study questions and finish the lecture outside of class. He gives research opportunities to freshmen. He also is willing to help you out in the grade department if you show effort and improvemen

Professor Worthen a laudatory review and then some. He loves biology and can sometimes go on tangents which is ok. He provides study guides/ppts. Most of the study questions ARE ON THE QUIZZES AND TESTS. He will help anyone who needs it and is quite personable. GET TO KNOW HIM. He knew my name the second day of class in a class of 25. Impressive!

A very difficult class, but you will learn a lot. If you want to be a Biology major, I recommend taking him. It's a weeding out class, so he doesn't really care if you're failing. He really knows his stuff; you can tell he is very passionate about Biology. Don't buy the book. Just do the study questions and make sure you know them well.

Worthen is a very nice guy and a helpful professor. Almost all of the questions on tests and quizzes come from his study questions, which are posted online (along with Powerpoints). He makes it incredibly easy to get a good grade.

Best professor ever

Dr. Worthen is the BEST Bio111 professor. His lectures are clear and the information is shallow/basic. Got a solid B with average effort, and I'm not a science major.

Great guy, pretty easy class. Best course you'll take.

Very clear and interesting lecture, and very abundant resources provided. He really knows a lot and is passionate about biology. And his labs are actually meanful and fun... Among the best I have ever taken!

Great professor, really loves biology. Pretty clear about what info will be on the tests-study this and you will do fine.

If you have no interest in ecology, lectures are extremely boring, tests are harder than they should be, too many field trips...first C I've ever made

For an upper level Biology course, his tests are very specific and harder than other Ecology professors. Field trips were always fun during lab time, but when it came to getting tested, he is a very picky grader and does not always cover test material well in class. But, meeting with him will help a lot in terms of understanding lectures.

He gives you notes with every powerpoint lesson. Then he gives you sample questions for tests and quizzes. He takes questions directly from those for tests and plus some new ones. If you study the material he gives you and understand it you should be completely fine.

I love this man. All of his lectures are video taped and posted online alongside lecture notes, study questions (with answers), and powerpoints. There is no textbook because of all the online resources. He is a very clear and engaging lecturer and he's super funny. If you study the materials, then the tests and quizzes are definitely do-able.

Dr. Worthen is very passionate about biology, and his passion is really infectious. His lectures are interesting. We only had two tests before the final, so if you didn't do well on one it pretty much screwed your grade. Tests and quizzes are difficult but his study questions are very helpful. Overall, a difficult but doable class.

He's a tough grader, and it can be hard to tell what he wants you to put on tests, even if you know the material. 2 tests, a final, and a few quizzes, so there's not much to cushion your grade. A great teacher and you'll learn a lot, but tough tests.

Dr. Worthen is very passionate about biology and conservation, and it shows. Class had less to do with writing and more about Biodiversity. He did spend an entire lecture talking about how Christians and republicans are ruining the world and hates both. We also had a final, which was odd for a FYW but it was easy, and he graded papers pretty easily

Take his class! He is a fantastic professor who is happy to help outside of class. You will gain a great foundation in biology by taking this class. He is very detailed oriented, and you will be well prepared for more advanced courses. I also found him to have a kind personality.

Dr. Worthen is one of my all time favorite professors. It was a difficult course, but if you are willing to put in even the smallest amount of work, you can do very well. He does NOT put minute, non-covered material on exams, all the extra material is online! He is a very fair grader. He is very passionate about the material and fuels our learning.

I'm not sure why Dr. Worthen has a low rating on this website. His class really was not bad. Daily quizzes that you can take until you get a 10/10, recycles lots of quiz questions on the exams, lectures very conversationally. However, lectures can be a bit boring and lab exercises a bit tedious. Just put in some work and you'll be fine.

I came into this class with very little background on Biology, so it was very difficult to retain the information at first and I definitely had to put in extra effort. Be prepared to do a lot of learning outside of the class (which is pretty typical for a college class). If you work hard and efficiently, you will be fine!

Class itself is entirely lecture. The labs are group work but you can decide whether you want to do the reports together or not. The homework was daily online quizzes that you could retake as often as you needed to. It was kind of annoying to keep up with but reduced studying time for exams since he reused a lot of the questions.

His tests can be challenging if you don't study thoroughly, but he is an amazing professor and is great at teaching. If you are wanting to take biology as an intro class to later major in something related, I recommend him :)

I loved Dr. Worthen! He is so kind and really cares about his students understanding the concepts he is teaching. The trickiest part of this class are the cumulative exams. The daily 10 question Moodle quizzes are intended to be a curve for your grade. Not homework heavy, but you definitely will need to put time outside of class to study for exams.