BSCI106H | PlanetTerp

Information	Review
Alexandra Bely BSCI106H Expecting an A Anonymous 01/08/2015	Professor Bely is awesome! She is super sweet and very passionate about her subject! I think the class itself lends itself to be pretty dry, and I think she does the best she can to make it interesting. She posts all her lectures online, which is great. I think a lot of people skipped lecture because they just took notes on the stuff she posted online. It's pretty much the same thing. If you are someone who likes to have a professor in front of you actively teaching, then definitely go to lecture. But if you are someone who doesn't find evolution/ecology particularly difficult and you can self-study effectively, then take advantage of her online lecture notes. That being said, there are some things she talks about in lecture that she doesn't put in her online notes. She asks thoughtful questions during class, and sometimes the answer isn't on the online lecture notes because we answer them out loud in lecture. The exams are easy. But I do know some people who struggled with her exams. I guess it depends on how you study and how your brain works. I understood ecology and evolution pretty well already before I entered her class because I had taken AP Bio. But even if I hadn't taken AP Bio, I feel like I would have done well because everything on the exam is something she has talked about. Her exams are more detail oriented I think. A few times, the discussion-like questions she posed during lecture appeared in the exam. But I didn't get below an A on any exam because she gives you all the information you need to know. It's just up to you if you are willing to put in the time and energy to memorize and learn the information. Time on exams was never an issue for me. I feel like most people in the class finished the exam with plenty of time to spare. The exams usually consist of like...maybe 25 multiple choice questions, 10 fill in the blanks, and 4-6 short answer questions. Homeworks were never particularly difficult. You can finish them in maybe 30-45 minutes max if you really concentrate and buckle down. She also has an awesome policy where you can either completely drop your lowest exam score, or downweight your lowest exam and your final. If you do well on all the exams (which you should try to do), then you can relax for the final. I think a lot of the people I knew only needed a D on the final in order to get an A, because they all did well on the midterms. Lab is a pain. I was in the honors version, which I think is better than the regular version because we didn't have as much work (in my opinion). We only had to do like 2 pre-lab quizzes, a presentation, and a few written assignments. I don't know if they will do this next time, but we also had 4 one hour long discussions spread out throughout the year. They were really chill and were an easy 15 points. My lab TA was AWESOME. I think that makes all the difference in your experience. Lab should bring up your grade. If you have the option to take the honors version, definitely do it.
Alexandra Bely BSCI106H Expecting an A- umdstudent3 12/21/2013	Bely is pretty funny and passionate, and she really tries to make the class interesting, but at the end of the day, I just didnt really enjoy the class. Her lectures are heavily based on her powerpoints, and while she does post them on elms, her exams require memorization of the most detailed examples on those slides. The final exam only repeated a few things, but it was much less detailed and easier to handle. I took the honors version, which meant our lab portion was different. While we didnt have to take the pre-lab quizzes, we had to write up a few reports and the TA are VERY VERY harsh graders. But, there were discussion points and other points which were just some gimmes. In the end, my lab portion gave me a 90%, and I worked pretty hard--I personally think it was so low because of the harsh grading and not the content.
Sara Via BSCI106H Expecting an A- btc5105 03/16/2012	She is an okay lecturer. She covers the material and knows her stuff, but I understand how people can find her to be somewhat rude. Her exams are not terribly difficult and she does not curve, so you'll have to actually study some. The notes that she posts online are pretty much her entire lecture so you're not missing too much if you miss a few lectures. She does drop one exam which helps. One problem that I have with her as a professor though is that she has a few lectures which really do not give any useful information towards the course. For example, when we began to discuss evoltuion, she spent an entire class discussing religion vs evolution. Also, after the last exam (before the final) she discusses lots of sustainability issues and inputs her own ideologies into her lectures, which i found unnecessary. Overall though, I think she's a decent professor and it is quite easy to get an A. She also gives a lot of extra credit oppurtunities. As for the lab part, in honors you have to do 2 full lab reports, and don't have to do the weekly quizzes, which I found to be useful. The TAs (at least mine) do not really tell you how to write the reports so previous knowledge in writing lab reports would be useful for this class.
Sara Via BSCI106H ndk999 12/02/2011	Professor Via was a great teacher in my opinion. An entertaining lecturer, always has great examples, very fair tests, and no clicker questions. She gives over 30 points extra credit throughout the course, and holds review sessions before tests. Although she comes off as rude, she has a very organized teaching style and I learned a lot from her class. And, the tests are composed of the lectures, so there are no real surprises. I would definitely recommend her!!
Sara Via BSCI106H Expecting an A Anonymous 12/18/2009	Ok this class is not that bad despite some of these reviews! You don't even have to read the book once!! If you just study her lecture outlines, which are posted online, you will be fine for her exams. Also her clicker points this semester were easy points, we got all of the points just by being there and clicking in an answer, even if it was wrong. A lot of people got 90/90 points for that. Also there's lots of opportunity for extra credit and a test is dropped. Worst thing about this class is that she doesn't really curve. Plus BSCI106 is boring and a pain no matter who you take.
Sara Via BSCI106H cninferno 06/05/2009	I hated her class. Yes, she was a good lecturer, but her tests were impossible and she was very condescending and almost ignorant. Her tests are formatted so there can be multiple correct answers on her multiple choice (commonly known at UMCP as "multiple-multiple choice questions"). Her lectures never really followed the textbook, which can be frustrating if you want to clarify a point she made in class. She also hates it if you use laptops during lectures, even if the students use it to type lecture notes. So, if you want to get all the notes down, I suggest you speed up your note-taking skills or bring a voice recorder.
Sara Via BSCI106H Anonymous 05/27/2009	She is not very nice and very condescending. She seems to think that she's like the smartest person ever and that all the students are stupid little children. She repeatedly lectures the people who actually attend class that if they skip class they will fail. It's like, why is she lecturing the people who are actually there about not being there!? Also, her lectures are really unorganized and hard to understand, and she focuses on details that are really not that essential to understanding ecology and evolution, while skipping over topics that are ACTUALLY important. Also, she is an environmental fanatic who seems to think that doomsday is coming any time now and she makes up "facts" such as "rainforest economics" that don't make any sense (especially if you already known something about REAL economics).
Sara Via BSCI106H Expecting an A DN12 01/01/2009	I love Dr. Via! She is a pretty nice person and is helpful. At times she does seem annoyed, but overall she is still a good teacher.. And she will interact with you pleasantly if she recognizes you are truly interested (sit in the front, stay awake, talk to her after class about lecture). Via's tests have been multiple-multiple choice, and they are pretty good because you can have a chance to get some points even if you dont know all of the answers. My best advice is to form a study group. I did, and the results were great, if you can teach it yourself, you'll know it on the test! The tests aren't bad at all, and she drops the lowest one, and drops 2 online quizzes. Her lecture outlines are good, despite what everyone says. They have some minor mistakes on them, but they're not unusable. The best way to make use of them is to COME TO LECTURE and annotate the outlines with extra things she says in lecture, it helps, I got an A doing it. And always come back to the outlines when studying, especially with phylogeny, because you are expected to know it well. Give Via a chance, she's a respectable prof.
Sara Via BSCI106H Expecting an A jessgord 11/15/2008	Via was a terrible professor. Her powerpoints and outlines always contained mistakes and she seemed annoyed at anyone who asked a question...didn't respect students at all. Then again, the material isn't hard and even if you're stuck with her, you'll do really well if you study enough. Exams are the standard BSCI multiple-multiple choice plus some short answer. Lab's not too bad.
Sara Via BSCI106H Anonymous 10/30/2007	I wouldn't recommend that anyone take Dr. Via's class if it can be avoided. She is not very receptive of students' questions, sometimes treating questions with frustration or acting like the student was stupid for asking. She doesn't do a good job explaining the material covered in BSCI106, just rushes through powerpoints that don't make a whole lot of sense. She spends a lot of time on less important things and little time on the topics students have difficulty understanding. She has quickly lost the respect of many of the students.

Alexandra Bely
BSCI106H

Expecting an A
Anonymous
01/08/2015

Professor Bely is awesome! She is super sweet and very passionate about her subject! I think the class itself lends itself to be pretty dry, and I think she does the best she can to make it interesting. She posts all her lectures online, which is great. I think a lot of people skipped lecture because they just took notes on the stuff she posted online. It's pretty much the same thing. If you are someone who likes to have a professor in front of you actively teaching, then definitely go to lecture. But if you are someone who doesn't find evolution/ecology particularly difficult and you can self-study effectively, then take advantage of her online lecture notes. That being said, there are some things she talks about in lecture that she doesn't put in her online notes. She asks thoughtful questions during class, and sometimes the answer isn't on the online lecture notes because we answer them out loud in lecture. The exams are easy. But I do know some people who struggled with her exams. I guess it depends on how you study and how your brain works. I understood ecology and evolution pretty well already before I entered her class because I had taken AP Bio. But even if I hadn't taken AP Bio, I feel like I would have done well because everything on the exam is something she has talked about. Her exams are more detail oriented I think. A few times, the discussion-like questions she posed during lecture appeared in the exam. But I didn't get below an A on any exam because she gives you all the information you need to know. It's just up to you if you are willing to put in the time and energy to memorize and learn the information. Time on exams was never an issue for me. I feel like most people in the class finished the exam with plenty of time to spare. The exams usually consist of like...maybe 25 multiple choice questions, 10 fill in the blanks, and 4-6 short answer questions. Homeworks were never particularly difficult. You can finish them in maybe 30-45 minutes max if you really concentrate and buckle down. She also has an awesome policy where you can either completely drop your lowest exam score, or downweight your lowest exam and your final. If you do well on all the exams (which you should try to do), then you can relax for the final. I think a lot of the people I knew only needed a D on the final in order to get an A, because they all did well on the midterms. Lab is a pain. I was in the honors version, which I think is better than the regular version because we didn't have as much work (in my opinion). We only had to do like 2 pre-lab quizzes, a presentation, and a few written assignments. I don't know if they will do this next time, but we also had 4 one hour long discussions spread out throughout the year. They were really chill and were an easy 15 points. My lab TA was AWESOME. I think that makes all the difference in your experience. Lab should bring up your grade. If you have the option to take the honors version, definitely do it.

Alexandra Bely
BSCI106H

Expecting an A-
umdstudent3
12/21/2013

Bely is pretty funny and passionate, and she really tries to make the class interesting, but at the end of the day, I just didnt really enjoy the class. Her lectures are heavily based on her powerpoints, and while she does post them on elms, her exams require memorization of the most detailed examples on those slides. The final exam only repeated a few things, but it was much less detailed and easier to handle. I took the honors version, which meant our lab portion was different. While we didnt have to take the pre-lab quizzes, we had to write up a few reports and the TA are VERY VERY harsh graders. But, there were discussion points and other points which were just some gimmes. In the end, my lab portion gave me a 90%, and I worked pretty hard--I personally think it was so low because of the harsh grading and not the content.

Sara Via
BSCI106H

Expecting an A-
btc5105
03/16/2012

She is an okay lecturer. She covers the material and knows her stuff, but I understand how people can find her to be somewhat rude. Her exams are not terribly difficult and she does not curve, so you'll have to actually study some. The notes that she posts online are pretty much her entire lecture so you're not missing too much if you miss a few lectures. She does drop one exam which helps. One problem that I have with her as a professor though is that she has a few lectures which really do not give any useful information towards the course. For example, when we began to discuss evoltuion, she spent an entire class discussing religion vs evolution. Also, after the last exam (before the final) she discusses lots of sustainability issues and inputs her own ideologies into her lectures, which i found unnecessary. Overall though, I think she's a decent professor and it is quite easy to get an A. She also gives a lot of extra credit oppurtunities. As for the lab part, in honors you have to do 2 full lab reports, and don't have to do the weekly quizzes, which I found to be useful. The TAs (at least mine) do not really tell you how to write the reports so previous knowledge in writing lab reports would be useful for this class.

Sara Via
BSCI106H

ndk999
12/02/2011

Professor Via was a great teacher in my opinion. An entertaining lecturer, always has great examples, very fair tests, and no clicker questions. She gives over 30 points extra credit throughout the course, and holds review sessions before tests. Although she comes off as rude, she has a very organized teaching style and I learned a lot from her class. And, the tests are composed of the lectures, so there are no real surprises. I would definitely recommend her!!

Sara Via
BSCI106H

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/18/2009

Ok this class is not that bad despite some of these reviews! You don't even have to read the book once!! If you just study her lecture outlines, which are posted online, you will be fine for her exams. Also her clicker points this semester were easy points, we got all of the points just by being there and clicking in an answer, even if it was wrong. A lot of people got 90/90 points for that. Also there's lots of opportunity for extra credit and a test is dropped. Worst thing about this class is that she doesn't really curve. Plus BSCI106 is boring and a pain no matter who you take.

Sara Via
BSCI106H

cninferno
06/05/2009

I hated her class. Yes, she was a good lecturer, but her tests were impossible and she was very condescending and almost ignorant. Her tests are formatted so there can be multiple correct answers on her multiple choice (commonly known at UMCP as "multiple-multiple choice questions"). Her lectures never really followed the textbook, which can be frustrating if you want to clarify a point she made in class. She also hates it if you use laptops during lectures, even if the students use it to type lecture notes. So, if you want to get all the notes down, I suggest you speed up your note-taking skills or bring a voice recorder.

Sara Via
BSCI106H

Anonymous
05/27/2009

She is not very nice and very condescending. She seems to think that she's like the smartest person ever and that all the students are stupid little children. She repeatedly lectures the people who actually attend class that if they skip class they will fail. It's like, why is she lecturing the people who are actually there about not being there!? Also, her lectures are really unorganized and hard to understand, and she focuses on details that are really not that essential to understanding ecology and evolution, while skipping over topics that are ACTUALLY important. Also, she is an environmental fanatic who seems to think that doomsday is coming any time now and she makes up "facts" such as "rainforest economics" that don't make any sense (especially if you already known something about REAL economics).

Sara Via
BSCI106H

Expecting an A
DN12
01/01/2009

I love Dr. Via! She is a pretty nice person and is helpful. At times she does seem annoyed, but overall she is still a good teacher.. And she will interact with you pleasantly if she recognizes you are truly interested (sit in the front, stay awake, talk to her after class about lecture). Via's tests have been multiple-multiple choice, and they are pretty good because you can have a chance to get some points even if you dont know all of the answers. My best advice is to form a study group. I did, and the results were great, if you can teach it yourself, you'll know it on the test! The tests aren't bad at all, and she drops the lowest one, and drops 2 online quizzes. Her lecture outlines are good, despite what everyone says. They have some minor mistakes on them, but they're not unusable. The best way to make use of them is to COME TO LECTURE and annotate the outlines with extra things she says in lecture, it helps, I got an A doing it. And always come back to the outlines when studying, especially with phylogeny, because you are expected to know it well. Give Via a chance, she's a respectable prof.

Sara Via
BSCI106H

Expecting an A
jessgord
11/15/2008

Via was a terrible professor. Her powerpoints and outlines always contained mistakes and she seemed annoyed at anyone who asked a question...didn't respect students at all. Then again, the material isn't hard and even if you're stuck with her, you'll do really well if you study enough. Exams are the standard BSCI multiple-multiple choice plus some short answer. Lab's not too bad.

Sara Via
BSCI106H

Anonymous
10/30/2007

I wouldn't recommend that anyone take Dr. Via's class if it can be avoided. She is not very receptive of students' questions, sometimes treating questions with frustration or acting like the student was stupid for asking. She doesn't do a good job explaining the material covered in BSCI106, just rushes through powerpoints that don't make a whole lot of sense. She spends a lot of time on less important things and little time on the topics students have difficulty understanding. She has quickly lost the respect of many of the students.

Reviews for BSCI106H