BIOL 3020

Robert Cox teaches the first half of the class. The information gets more fascinating during the 2nd/3rd exam but generally is pretty interesting. Exams are moderately difficult but fairly straightforward (unlike Brodie). The homework is honestly my biggest issue with this half of the class because it’s extremely difficult and honestly more of a detriment to your grade than anything. They should have made it so you get a 2nd attempt for half credit or something. Butch Brodie’s half starts out great but completely falls apart with the last exam. The content is nowhere near as interesting as the rest of the class and we needed a whole class day to argue about how ambiguous the questions were and barely any points were given back despite some of the wrong answers making clear logical sense given the question.

The course is fairly interesting, and doesn’t deviate very far from the typical UVA Bio formula, but my experience with the last 1/4 and the final completely soured any enjoyment i had of the rest of the class

This has been my favorite bio class so far because the content is SUPER interesting. The first half is taught by Professor Cox and the second half is taught by Professor Brodie. In my opinion, Professor Cox's exams were easier than Professor Brodie's exams. The exams are in-person, closed note, 32 multiple choice questions on a scantron. The only thing that I didn't like about evo/eco was the huge weight of the exams. The four exams are worth 92% and the other 8% comes from 8 weekly homework assignments. I found that the homeworks were actually more difficult than the exams, so they brought my grade down a bit. The final is cumulative and optional, but will replace your lowest midterm if you choose to take it. Overall, evo/eco is a fantastic course that I genuinely learned a lot from. I was always excited to come to lecture because of the incredible real-life examples they use. Both professors are really passionate about the content and want you to succeed. #tCFS24

Cox taught Evolution, and Brodie taught Ecology. Both were very similar, although I liked Cox better because his slides were more detailed/organized. I found the content both covered to be very interesting and not too challenging. However, the homework and exams (both open note) counted for the entirety of the grade, and were difficult like others in the Biology department. They required more reading comprehension and understanding of the questions/answer than knowledge of the content. Brodie’s tests especially were very unclear and ambiguous. No additional grade boosting opportunities/curve. This made it difficult to get an A, but a B or higher is extremely obtainable.

Robert Cox was an amazing lecturer! From day one, you can tell that he is very detailed and passionate about the course material. I would recommend paying really close attention to his lectures because his exams are largely based off of them. I would honestly not bother reading the textbook unless you need supplemental help because he covers the concepts really well and in-depth during lecture. I would also encourage the use of posting questions on to Piazza because he would address the most commonly asked questions and most difficult concepts in his pre-exam review session power points.

I took this class because I thought that it would be the "easier" upper level bio class. While I thought that the content of the class was pretty straightforward and easy to understand, the tests were not. The tests are designed to test your reading comprehension and logical reasoning, and even with more studying it did not improve my performance on these exams. There was often so much debate about wording of questions that they would end up giving students a few points back on the tests as a result.

I think that Professor Cox is a great lecturer and overall the professors and TA are there to support students, but the exams are difficult and do not always reflect what is being taught in lecture. This is rough considering that 92% of your grade is based on exams, but your lowest exam is dropped at the end. Homework is super hard, but only counts for 8% of your grade. Final exam is cumulative and optional, and I was counting on it to boost my grade but they made it even harder than the other exams. I thought that the content was interesting, and wish that there could be some changes made to this course!

This class is pretty challenging. I havent taken any of the other bio requirements, but I heard that this was the easiest. Just because it is the "easiest" doesnt make it easy. The exam questions can be very tricky and you really need to have your knowledge of the concepts down. I found that attending lectures and taking thorough notes isn't enough. In order to do well on the exams, I had to go over the lecture recordings again in order to really understand what the professor is saying and become more familiar with the concepts. I found that both professors (Cox and Gilbert) did a really good job, but I slightly preferred Cox over Gilbert. Both were really good though! You can definitely get a good grade in this class if you study diligently, but don't expect it to be a walk in the park. The final exam replacing your lowest exam score really helps, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't study as much on the midterms.

This course was not what I expected. Before I took this class, I was told that it was the easiest of the core classes for the bio major. The tests were written as if they were meant to trick us, but this seems the same for most upper level bio classes. Although the content was definitely easier to understand than that of cell, I kept finding myself performing worse on these exams. Either these types of tests were just not for me, or they purposely made these tests unreasonably tricky. Exams making up 92% of your grade doesn't help with this much. I felt that I could comprehend the content fully with some moderate studying, but the exams said otherwise. When I changed my studying habits to be more intensive, I saw no real change in my performance on these exams. #tCFspring2022

Professor Cox taught the first half of the course, and Professor Brodie taught the second half. Both were great; I felt like Professor Cox's powerpoints were more organized and helpful, while Professor Brodie's lectures were more entertaining. It was a bit disruptive switching professors halfway through the semester, although I did enjoy having both professors. We also had a very helpful TA, who ran the discussion sections. We took five open-note exams (I took this during covid, I don't know if they are always open-note) and the lowest exam grade was dropped. Exams accounted for 96% of our grade, while homework assignments (one for each unit, basically practice exam questions) made up the other 4%. Exams were hard, even though they were multiple choice and open-note. The questions were trying to trick you. I really enjoyed the subject; it definitely made me look at nature differently and appreciate the diversity of life.

This class was extremely difficult for an online open note class. I studied very hard yet realized that more studying did not ensure success because the questions were all about theoretical what if's and not factual information. The tests did not assess if you knew the content, rather it assessed whether you were able to interpret a far out research topic that is not fully studied. Many answers choices were debated in discussion/office hours and many times professors were unable to deduce that other answers were wrong yet credit was not given for those answers, only answers THEY thought best in THEIR interpretation (Cox was the more understanding professor in this aspect and I thought he was a better professor). The duel aspect of two professors in this course was not helpful and actually made the learning curve harder as they switched halfway through the semester. As many informed me that this was an 'easier' biology 3000 course I would not take this lightly and would go in with the idea that exams are very ambiguous/unclear and it will take much of you time to try and understand what the question is even asking before trying to review answer choices that are VERY similar. It was also my understanding that the TA wrote some of the exam questions so go to their office hours instead because what the professor says and what the TA says are different and the difference in interpretations is very visible on the exam questions.

This class is split between Cox and Brodie, but I liked Cox the best. His powerpoints are almost so complete that you basically don't need to attend lectures. I found his exams better and easier than Brodie's. Material-wise, I thought this class was drier than rock but it's not too bad. The grade is split between 4 exams, so that's a little rough. I thought Brodie's exams were harder, but it could be that I liked him less as a Prof. Don't buy the textbook -- there's no point. Just study hard for the exams.

I’m more interested in cellular/molecular biology, but I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this class. Professor Cox is somewhat dull but his powerpoint slides are the best slides I’ve ever seen. For some people, going to lectures may not be mandatory, although I still attended because recording lectures is helpful for me and clicker participation gives you 1% bonus. Exams were challenging but as long as you have a deep understanding of the content and examples, they are definitely doable. Professor Brodie’s lecturing style is a little more interesting and I’d say the content that he teaches is a bit more straightforward. His exams were a little more challenging than Professor Cox’s but still doable in my opinion. Both professors are very knowledgeable and passionate about the subject matter which is refreshing. Overall, this is an excellent course and I learned a lot of useful information.

Don’t buy the textbook, you won’t need to read it. Go to class and pay attention. You will get 1 point added to your course grade for attendance (measured by iClicker, you can afford to miss only a couple of lectures). Cox teaches first half, Brodie teaches second half. Cox is an okay lecturer and has straightforward exams. Brodie is a good lecturer but has hard, very ambiguous exams (I did worse on them DESPITE them actually being open note due to corona). No homework.

This is a pretty standard bio class and I think the school re-vamped it after last semester so it isn't there to "trick you" anymore. I found professor Cox to be passionate about what he was talking about and made lectures enjoyable. If you're taking this class you've probably been through way worse in the bio department and you will hopefully be able to appreciate these professors who just like biology and are here to teach us. To do well I'd say review the powerpoints about a week early, go through the Piazza (which I didn't know what piazza was until exam 3), use your book as a reference but you definitely don't need to do the assigned readings. Some of my classmates recorded the lecture but honestly I don't think it's necessary. This is one of those classes where you stand out based on your test-taking abilities rather than your actual knowledge. I hope you're a better test taker than me!