2.0
Quality4.5
Difficulty25%
Would Retake83
Reviews25%
Would Retake
83
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
4
4
10
3
8
2
19
1
42
What Students Say
“After she explained a topic she would say Clear as mud”
BIO201 - 2.0 rating“The material in this class isn't hard”
BIO201 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
90%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+1.30 avg changeRatings by Course
201
2.4
(22)BIO-335
2.0
(4)BIO201
1.8
(56)241
1.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
BIO201
4.6
201
4.5
BIO-335
4.5
241
4.0
Reviews (83)
Dr. Pinnix is very smart and expects us to already understand everything she is going over during her lectures from the readings and the homework. She constantly blames us for not knowing anything when she isn't teaching us for us to learn, more as a review. She picks favorite classes and will tell the class she doesn't like that straight up.
She is a nice lady and jokes around sometimes in class, but throughout this course it felt like she was setting us up for failure with a few exams and quizzes. Also when some people asked questions in class to me her responses were rude acting like the student should already know the answer to the question they asked.
Pinnix way of teaching definitely suits very few people. When questions are asked or issues are brought up, students are either ignored or are given a smart remark. Pinnix does not respond to emails on time or even at all. Lectures are read straight from powerpoints instead of going in depth and opening up to questions from students.
Her class is lecture heavy and she reads straight off the slides, instead of going in-depth about the material. When asked questions in class, instead of answering she tells students she already went over it and that it's in the notes slides. The quizzes are challenging for no reason.
Lecture Heavy, only thing that really matters is exam grades. They overwhlem the percentage of your grade.
Dr. Pinnix is a very difficult professor. She likes to joke with students about things that are truly not funny. She expects you to already know everything before she lectures on it, and her lectures are AWFUL. She literally reads off a screen the whole time, so class is a waste of time. Do not take her, exams are awful she changes everything.
She is seriously so annoying and a horrible prof. She responds to my emails with such attitude like it isn't her job to respond to them. Her lectures are pointless and she only started letting us take our quizzes at home because everyone was failing.
Dr. P is nice and has good energy, but if youre not good at teaching yourself, I would not recommend. The PowerPoints are word for word from the textbook. She penalizes the class for not understanding info she didnt teach. She was 3 chapters behind my lab, so every Pre lab quiz was a complete guess. Not a good first time bio class.
Dr. Pinnix reads straight off the screen. Her quizzes and exams are challenging and lengthy. For example, we had a scantron exam that was 77 questions and 50 minutes. There is no extra credit and even though there are a lot of homework grades, they barely affect your overall grade. She doesn't answer questions well but does have office hours.
Dr. P was nice but this class was a lot of work and involved a lot of reading, homework, and quizzes. The homework was super long and the quizzes were harder than necessary. She did let us take most of the quizzes at home, however they were often 50+ questions. Most of our grade is based off of our exam grades but she does drop our lowest exam
Dr. P wastes your time in lectures by reading directly off the slides with no explanation. Your grade in her class is purely defined by your exam scores (her exams are tough) and quiz scores (the quizzes are 50+ questions). I also have been to her office hours and she is very rude when you ask about concepts you don't understand. Do not recommend
After giving us a 70-question exam with less than 50 minutes to take it she told us her classes at other schools had no problem with it. She messes with her classes, making us guess whether exams will be online or on-paper until we have to take them and telling us we have an in-person quiz only to change it to an 80-question online quiz.
She was not helpful anytime you ask a question, she rarely responded to messages, and she goes way too fast to understand anything. She belittles students anytime they don't understand something.
Dr. P can be tough, but only if you don't do your work. If you do your work and study you should be fine. She does class discussions and interactive activities. Also, if you go to her office hours and grow a relationship with her, it will help in the long run.
Her lectures are very heavy and can be confusing to understand at time. If you are having a hard time with the content, you need to sign up to see her during office hours. I saw her like every week to see her and showed her that I'm trying and she tried to make sure I understood the content to the best of my ability.
Dr. P. is a really nice lady but her lectures are so not helpful and she just reads of the slides. Unless you are someone who can teach themselves absolutely everything, you won't retain anything from her teaching. Her class was annoyingly difficult for no reason. Tests were very random and almost impossible to do well even after hours studying.
DO NOT TAKE!!! was so rude to so many students and chased someone after leaving the class early. she would assign obnoxiously long hw assignments and would say tests or quizzes were online and would change them to take home to mess with students. did not care to explain anything on slides and would directly read off, test were hard for no reason.
a lot of people will say you will do bad in her class if you don't put in the work but you can study all you want, attend office hours and SI sessions, and still do poorly. lectures were not helpful and she was not a nice professor to be around. test were hard no matter how long you study and homework takes hours even if you understand the topic.
DO NOT TAKE!!!!!!!!!!! She is the rudest professor I have ever had. During exams, if someone's lockdown browser doesn't work, she laughs in their face and doesn't help them. She has made many students cry. The homework and quizzes are 70-80 questions ALWAYS. Someone will ask a question in class, and she will look at them like they are stupid.
No professor that teaches 201 will be well-liked. She will try to help you but no matter how hard I try this course kicks my butt.
I would not take this course with Dr. Pinnix again. I felt there was a disconnect between what I was learning and what I was tested on. She often doesn't respond to emails and makes students hesitant to ask for help because of fear of judgement. No amount of studying prepared me for the exams and modules/hw on pearson was not sufficient in helping
She is very rude and thinks she is above everyone, therefore she views her class as if they were very very below her. If you ask a question she will make you immediately regret it because she makes you feel stupid. If you are a nursing student RUN because it's caused me to literally have depression and get on pills because of her class.
DON'T TAKE HER! she is so mean and sassy. she chased a guy down for leaving class early! she was not accommodating with my disability. tests make up so much of final grade. i was sick for the first exam, and she wouldn't let me retake it because i didn't have a dr. note, so i got a 0. the HW takes hours and the tests are very hard.
Just no
Tests and quizzes ranged so differently from material to number of questions for every class. Everything is at 'her discretion' she is not lenient no matter the circumstance. If you email her 'too late' she will not let you join the zoom. Teaches straight off the powerpoint, tests are extremely difficult. Speaks in an almost deprecating way.
Professor Pinnix is a nice lady. BIO201 is a very hard class, and she just read through the slides which were exactly from the online textbook. The study guides were NOT helpful for the exams. She does give some extra credit at the end. Very hard exams, and very long quizzes. Sometimes 80 questions. Don't recommend unless you can teach yourself.
I'm sure Pinnix is great a biology, but not teaching it. She seemed to be okay with her students consistently falling exams and didn't do much to help. In class she would just read off the slides so you would have to teach yourself. We had a quiz or exam almost every week and they were extremally long and difficult. Also extremely condescending
Zandra shows that she cares for her students and works hard to help people with different learning styles! She uses slides in class for you to take notes or just to watch for visual learners. (She typically posts slides on canvas later). There is a lot of reading assigned and quizzes but they are very helpful for learning and studying.
Dr. Pinnix was an amazing professor if you put the work in. Her exams were cumulative which helped for the final exam. The homework and quizzes on mastering were extremely long and tedious, but help your grade. It was nice that she drops one lowest quiz and one lowest exam. I recommend going to as many SI sessions as possible from the start.
Gives insanely hard exams with little to no review.
The material in this class isn't hard. The difficulty in this class comes from the professor making the excessive amount of assignments impossible to find/ assignments aren't mentioned on Canvas. Not only that, but there are no exceptions to late work and she seems to find enjoyment in the suffering of her students. AVOID AT ALL COSTS
She's nice enough but isn't all that helpful of an instructor. Reads off of slideshows as means of teaching but will also do demonstrations with students which is cool. Main thing is that you will have LOTS of quizzes and exams with not a lot of turn around time from the learning, so you won't have much time for absorbing info. Go to SI sessions!
This class material was moderately difficult, so it would be a hard class regardless of professor, however Dr. Pinnix made it more confusing than it needed to be. The lectures were often scattered and confusing, and she was not lenient when it came to missing absences due to sickness. She seems like she cares, but I didn't see it in her actions.
Professor Pinnix is a BAD professor. A lot of the difficulty for this class comes from her way of teaching. She is extremely confusing and her exams are really impossible. Many of the people I knew who also took her class finished with a C or worse.
Dr. Pinnix has been amazing. I don't know what all of these other reviews are talking about. She's energetic, engages with students, and has a vested interest in helping us learn. There isn't busy work in this class, just Connect assignments (around 3-4 hours/week) and several exams, which are challenging. If you work hard, you'll enjoy this class.
Shes very passionate but comes across as rude and unforgiving. I don't suggest taking her lectures.
Pinnix is a difficult bio teacher because she isn't very lenient and goes through lectures very quickly as if we already know the materials. There is a lot of reading from the textbook, but mylab really helps make up for her lectures. She posts daily questions as a way to take attendance in class, so you have to go, but her lectures are on canvas.
Dr. Pinnix acts as if she cares but doesn't back that up with her actions. She moves through lectures way too quickly, if you have no background on the information it will be very difficult to keep up. The exams are very hard and cover way too much material. Would not recommend if you don't already have a strong background in biology.
The lectures, while mandatory, don't teach you anything. I'm only successful in the class is due to my 9th grade bio notes. You will be self teaching if you aren't bio savvy and the online textbook will be your best friend. I could write a 5 page essay on why not to take pinnix, but this website doesn't allow me more than 350 characters.
I gave Dr. Pinnix an entire semester before forming my opinion. She changes due dates ALL THE TIME! She is very inconsistent with due dates, formats for tests (online vs in person), and grading. She grades insanely tough on exams also. She also is very rude and does not want feedback, and spends too much time on the wrong things in class. dont take
I cannot even describe the emotional distress this teacher put me through. In my 200-person lecture, she took attendance and took up 10 minutes of our 50-minute class. She gave us an 80-question test on the scantron and let us 20 minutes late into the classroom. She is degrading and refuses to answer your questions.
She counts attendance more than anything, constantly changes dates, picks favorites, and she does not even answer the questions you ask. It seems like these last few weeks she started assigning us random things that are basically bringing our grades down. I am telling you do anything you can not to take her. She is a kind person, but thats ALL....
In class she read off slides and most classes she would go through 100 slides of material and expect us to know it all. After she explained a topic she would say Clear as mud? She has in class assignments and wants everyone to participate in a lecture of 200 students. If you end up with her you will survive but I do not recommend.
Dr. Pinnix is not serious about this class at all. Instead of teaching she likes to makes fun of her students. The most disorganized professor I have ever had for Biology class. Her favorite saying "clear as mud" Like first of all mud is not clear. DON'T TAKE HER CLASS!!!! I might be changing my major after taking her class. AWFUL experience :(
Pinnix is unnecessarily harsh and can come off as rude. At some point during the semester, I thought she was fine but would be awful the next class. She tries to be interactive with the big lecture hall of students but then quickly changes the mood for no reason. She might be better with a much smaller class but she is passive and relies on slides.
Worst professor I've ever had. Did not reply to a single email all semester. I had to cc the department chair to get a response. When she did respond, she was extremely condescending and rude. Huge but fragile ego. Easy A, but if she messes up your grades and you need her to revise HER mistake, godspeed.
This teacher is test heavy, but they don't match her reviews. We were behind all semester compared to labs. She has a very condescending and disrespectful way of teaching. She based us off her last course and thought we would cheat. She doesn't respond to emails and I didn't want to come to class because she stressed me out.
I liked Pinnix she can come off as rude, but she was a good professor. You do have to study a lot for her exams, but I recommend looking at past homework for studying rather than her lectures or study guides. Easy A if you do the work and do well on exams. If you do the work, study and don't interact with her, you'll do fine.
She takes attendance very seriously and will punish those who do not attend by making in class assignments that are a lot of points. Homework and quizzes were easy just very time-consuming. Her exams come from the website you do homework and quizzes on. If you make a 70+ on exams and do well on everything else you will do fine in class.
Pinnix is the worst professor I have ever had. The questions on her exams were rarely ever discussed in class. Her class was so difficult that I made a B, meanwhile making an A in Chem which is supposed to be one of the hardest classes.
WORST PROFESSOR OF MY COLLEGE EXPERIENCE..... if are not only going to focus on this class and have other heavy workloads then do not take. She is the worst, will not help, makes you feel dumb, and like everyone else understands because "its simple." Exams are nothing like hw and she even will mess up grading them, Zero stars for Zandra.
Pinnix was a good professor but was harsh when it came to participating and attendance. Homework was easy but time consuming. I recommend looking back at past homework rather than study guides for her exams. I made 70s on the exams and still ended with a B. It is an easy class if you do the work.
If you take her just rely on mylab to learn the material rather than her lectures than you'll be fine.I would understand her lectures about 50% of the time but is not a difficult class. She gives you chances for extra credit on exams and doing the assignments for attendance helps your grade. As long as you GO TO CLASS and do the work you'll pass.
Lectures were confusing and every time I would study I would memorize all the material in her slides and it would not be helpful on the test.
Moves to fast, doesn't cover all content, wasteful lectures that are mandatory to attend and 95% of your work learning will be on your own
Oh Zandra, She is a sweet lady and I would love to be her friend in the real world. But as a professor I would disagree. When you ask what to study for the exam she will say study everything. She exams are nothing like the lectures. If you take her class rely on mylab and mastering homework and modules. Go to class because participation matters.
Professor Pinnix tries to joke with the class, but assigns lots of busy work and goes through lecture slides too fast. She expects you to teach yourself outside of class before coming in to the lectures. She takes attendance randomly but expects you to be there every class. There is no extra credit.
Wonderful lady as a person. But as a professor she expects you to learn outside of class. Lots of busy work. Late work is an automatic 0. Lectures and assignments don't always match up to tests. Overall bad experience. Don't recommend. IF you do get her just attend each lecture because she WILL take attendance at random times.
Hard material but you will do good if you study and take the time to learn outside of class. SI sessions are also very helpful. Takes attendance randomly so you have to go to class. Homework assignments through my lab mastering but you get multiple tries so its easy to get 100 every time. Late work is an automatic zero
Hard class but nice professor. Need to study a lot in order to do well but the work is manageable.
DO NOT TAKE PINNIX! you have to teach yourself everything and she is rude and impossible to work with. the only way you will survive this course is if you teach yourself everything yourself. Her tests are impossible and she uses a lockdown browser with the camera.
If you value your mental health do not take her class. Being in the class shattered my self worth and gave me an identity crisis. This woman is so mean for absolutely no reason and teaches you nothing. You're basically paying to teach yourself material at home and then come to class to be completely humiliated and belittled. zero stars.
zandra... zandra... zandra...i don't want to dislike her as a professor but yeahh i do. i am positive she's wonderful as a person but my thoughts on her as a prof are bleh. put in effort and study like a mf. GO TO SI SESSIONS. if you aren't interested in bio i can 100% see how this is like a nightmare + greening out at the same time
Dr. Pinnix often laughs at students when they ask serious questions during lectures. Dr. Pinnix only does office hours online. She will be condescending and act like you should know everything she's teaching already. Homework is really easy but the tests will sink your grade. There are 4 tests throughout the semester and a final exam.
Dr. Pinnix seems like a wonderful lady to be friends with outside of class. HOWEVER, her classes can only be described as infuriating and obscenely difficult. The lectures are useless to in relation to the exams and the reading is torture. I was planning to minor or possibly major in Biology, but after her class I feel that I am incapable either.
Dr. Pinnix is an ok professor, she pretty much reads directly off of the slideshows in 50-minute lecture then somehow related it to something in her life and talked about that for like 35 minutes of the class then saved 15 mins to cram the important stuff in last second. Get the textbook it is the only thing that will teach u, it has everything.
Extremely high amount of school.
This was the hardest class I have ever taken. I think the professor can make or break you in a class and this professor broke me. She does not answer emails, the only way to reach her is if you stay after class and talk with her in person. Her tests do NOT match the lectures in class. If you can avoid taking her class do so!!!!!!
Dr. Pinnix seems like a nice person, but she really isn't the best professor. You absolutely need to show up to class because she will post questions on canvas and participation points can help. Exams follow hw, not lectures. READ THE TEXTBOOK and go to SI, that and the multiple higher level bio classes I took in high school saved my grade.
Her class gave me a bunch of anxiety. It was very hard to get an A. As long as you do all of the homework and quizzes she assigns and put in effort in lab you will do okay. The exams are heavily weighted though.
I was excited to take her class until after the first week. The lectures felt pointless. She gets very sidetracked and expects everyone to just understand the concepts easily. Her exams you CANNOT just memorize you need to apply and understand. I emphasize this because even with 10 hours of studying weekly, my exam grades were atrocious. Good luck.
we had 6 exams and a final, and all exams were online over weekends so she could have more instructional time but during lecture would end up of some in dept part of the information that we didn't even need to know
the worst professor I have ever had. wish she would be fired. she is so hard and her lectures are fast paced and make no sense. do not take this woman or you will not pass unless you are some kind of biology genius. you have been warned.
she dumps so much information for you to remember and assigns endless homework. class is self-taught because she speeds through the slideshow she posts. one time she started lecturing about notes she didn't even post. just save yourself the tears it was hard.
Awful teacher...the lectures feel pointless, she just reads off her slides and then gives tests that have information that wasn't covered. Test questions are a lot of the same questions that are in the tons of online homework she assigns. She will hold up the class by going off on tangents and make you repeat after her. This lady is on a power trip
Her lectures have little to no relevancy to the tests. She regularly says "clear as mud" or will make you repeat after her. One time someone asked if we could review for an exam and she told him to go to burger king and study because she's gonna do what she wants to do in her class. Sometimes she can be funny but usually just rude.
she is the better biology professor at UNCW for sure but this class was not easy. she does random attendence questions and gives a lot of homework which is easy and is a grade booster so focus on getting 100's on those. SI's are a waste of time, study the homeworks and quizzes and you will be fine. exams are all mylab mastering based.
The better professor for BIO 201 as she assigns homework and SI that benefit your grade. Homework is pretty easy as long as you read the textbook. Lectures are pointless, you learn more from the textbook and homework. Tests are based on the homework and SI's rather than what she taught in class.
Dr. Pinnix is amazing, take time to build a positive relationship and pay attention and ask questions in class. She was very welcoming and an amazing first professor to have in college. Everything on the exams are covered in class, also utilize the textbook and SI sessions to gain a full understanding. She helped with Pre-Health coaching as well!
This was a hard class regardless of the teacher. I enjoyed her as a teacher and her lectures were easy to understand. She dropped many grades at the end of the semester and her tests were very similar to lecture.
lab grade clutched
I loved Dr. Pinnix's class! She makes lectures interactive and learning fun and offers extra credit/points for homework and tests. Although the tests weigh a lot on your overall grade, if you complete all the homework and do the PowerPoint/textbook reading and review you'll be fine. I fully recommend her to anyone, just be ready to study a lot.
I loved Dr. Pinnix. Yes the class was not a breeze but it's an intro BIO which is meant to be a "weed out" class. Lectures were powerpoint heavy with some peer collaboration time each class. I loved Pinnix because she didn't just read off the slides, she gave much more detail and explanation, which did make attendance sort of mandatory.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
90%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+1.30 avg changeRatings by Course
201
2.4
(22)BIO-335
2.0
(4)BIO201
1.8
(56)241
1.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
BIO201
4.6
201
4.5
BIO-335
4.5
241
4.0