BIOL 3020

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.

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

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

Class was pretty interesting! Dr. Cox teaches the first evolution half, then Dr. Brodie teaches ecology. For my semester, 8% of the final grade was homework, the rest is just exams. The homework assignments are 5 questions each and fairly difficult. The correct answer is not clear, so I highly suggest going to office hours to get your homework checked. There were times where I only got one or two correct for silly reasons when I didn't get it checked. The Wednesday night discussion section is for exams, but also used for TA review. They typically go over the previous homework assignment, previous exam questions, or general review problems. The exams are difficult, simply because you have to know really specific details about every topic. The multiple choice questions are so specific, one little word or phrase could make that entire answer choice incorrect. During my semester, one of the TAs provided non-official study guides for us to work through. I highly suggest you work through the entire thing if they are provided for you.

Overall good class; however, I found the class quite boring. If you are not interested in evolution and ecology and don't need the class, I wouldn't recommend it. If you do have to take it, it's not too hard; there are 4 midterms and a final, one of which is dropped, so you technically aren't required to take the final if you are satisfied with your grade. There are 8 homework assignments throughout the year, each worth 1% of your grade. They were easy, but only 5 questions, so one wrong is an 80. There was an extra credit opportunity to get a few points back on the homework. Professor Cox teaches the first half of the semester and Professor Brodie teaches the second. I found them both to be good lectures. Professor Cox's exams were more straightforward to me, and specifically, the second Brodie exam was complicated, and many of the questions were worded weirdly. The final was challenging because it covered al.l the material, but doable, so if you're debating taking it or not to boost your grade, I would recommend taking it. Overall, one of the easier 3000 biology classes.
(not sure if the TAs will keep TAing, but they were great my semester!!)

I really enjoyed this class! The class consists of 4 exams (each 23% of your grade) and an optional cumulative final that can be used to replace your lowest grade. There are 8 homework assignments in total (each 1% of your grade). They are usually tougher than the test questions so I would recommend going into any of the TA's office hours to check your answers with them. I'm pretty sure Professor Cox won't answer direct questions about the homework, but Professor Brodie will. There was one extra credit opportunity that would raise your final grade by 1%, and it was a study you had to take at the beginning and end of the semester. There were no other extra credit, no curves, and I believe no rounding. I did not need to read either textbook at all because all of the material is covered in the lectures. Both teachers record the lecture, which are good to use for studying. Professor Cox's tests are more straightforward and many of his questions contain an all of the above option as well as math. He tests on knowledge of specific examples he uses in class, so if he's spending a lot of time talking about an animal example, it's good to know how that example applies to the concept he's teaching and just small details about his major examples. Professor Brodie does not test on examples he uses in class, and his questions are a bit more confusing and conceptual. All the tests are 32 multiple questions, which allows for very few mistakes. There is some tricky wording so just be sure to read the question and answers well. Both professors are great in office hours, and will answer the same question multiple times so don't be afraid to ask. The discussions are optional, but helpful as the TAs make extra questions for review. The final wasn't bad at all, and some of the questions felt like a rewording of a question off a previous test. I started studying at least a week before, and mostly studied by retaking notes on lecture recordings and teaching the concepts to my hallmates. An A is definitely doable and if you've taken AP Biology or AP Environmental Science, some concepts might be familiar. Overall, a very interesting class, and I would recommend!

Don't think that this is an easier bio course just because it comes after cell and genetics. Bio 3020 is still a challenge in of itself, especially when it comes to the tests. There are 4 exams, with an optional final to replace your lowest grade. People stated that Brodie's exams were more difficult, but I felt as though Cox's were less straightforward. These tests are designed to trick you with word choice and incredibly specific information, so you need to know your material by heart to do well in this course.

Early in the semester, the professors both suggested not buying the textbook. I wholeheartedly agree with them, as all test-related material is covered in the lecture. You can read to better understand a topic, but you'd probably just be wasting your time. The most effective review strategies I found involved making Anki decks, blurting, teaching lectures to a group, and having ChatGPT make exam-style questions.

The content of this course was fascinating to me, but the grade breakdown really hampered my enjoyment. It's all tests with 8 total homework assignments. The problem is that these homework assignments are 5 questions, so one wrong answer brings you down to an 80. I would recommend going to office hours, as the TAs will just give you the answers. You'll need all the points you can get to do well in this class, but you will still end up getting a B regardless of how hard you study.