Kenneth Frauwirth

This professor has taught: BSCI105, BSCI330, BSCI422, BSCI423, BSCI424, CBMG688Q, CBMG688R, CBMG699W, CLFS609E, GEMS296, GEMS297, GEMS396, GEMS397, GEMS496, GEMS497, HNUH228V, HNUH248Q

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Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting an A Anonymous 11/21/2024	This is one of the most knowledgeable professors I've had at UMD. He knows how to explain difficult concepts in many different ways, and draws analogies to everyday life, so that anyone that pays enough attention can understand. He does show up late to class. I don't understand why this would bother anyone, as it would only work in our favor as students. It means that we have less material to study, and shorter lecture recordings to review, since exams are essentially entirely based on what we cover in lecture. He is also very nice and willing to talk with anybody to explain anything. He has a sense of humor. He did move an exam forward two days, and then reschedule it to the original date. Again, I don't understand why this would bother anyone, because it only gave us more time to study. He also gave people that wanted to still take the exam that same day the opportunity to do so. So, if someone that wanted to take the exam that badly , and was that upset by the fact that we got more time to study, had a bit of patience and waited till he came to the class that day, then they still could've taken the exam.
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting an A Anonymous 11/18/2024	You will hear that he was late consistently this semester, which is true, but it is largely due to him having a hard time with a lot of weird random stuff at home. You may have heard he is not a particularly exciting professor, which is also true. If you are seeking an exciting and deeply enriching lecture, he is not the professor for you. On the other hand, he provides a consistent and predictable (in terms of curriculum) course load that makes getting an A totally doable compared to other biology classes you will take, especially if you are a good student. Definitely recommend for any premed, this is not a hard class to succeed in if you have a little patience and a pretty normal amount of studiousness. There are small issues like boring lectures and inconsistent scheduling from the professor but for the most part you get what you put in with Dr. Frauwirth. Anyone with a crazy negative opinion is straight tweaking, dawg.
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting an A Anonymous 11/18/2024	Literally the nicest professor I have ever had. The class itself is totally doable. The exams are fair, and he usually will emphasize the topics he wants to ask about on the exams so pay attention. He records all lectures so you can rewatch to study for exams. The lab is a super grade boost and there are is a ton of built in extra credit. Take his class!
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting an A Anonymous 11/18/2024	He is the sweetest man ever. One short Canvas quiz per week, 3 midterm exams, 1 final. The lab is ridiculously easy so it will boost your grade if you struggle on exams. No surprises, concepts might seem tricky in class but are very study-able. Lectures are recorded too so you can go back and watch. Easy A!!!!
Kenneth Frauwirth Expecting an A- Anonymous 11/14/2024	The review below is tweaking don't listen to them
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting an A Anonymous 11/13/2024	Consistently late to class. He once moved an exam two days before it was scheduled, then emailed everyone that he couldn't make it the day of the exam. Unbelievably difficult to pay attention to, this man needs to take INAG110
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 11/05/2024	Dude is nice and is generally a good lecturer. Exams are EXTREMELY lecture-heavy and contains a lot of specific content that he TALKS about, but does not put in the slides. DO NOT take tues-thurs 75 minute lectures. This man does not stop talking the entire way through, and I guarantee you will fall asleep, zone out, or generally pray for the sweet release of the void. The mon-wed-fri lectures are less overwhelming.
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 08/25/2024	All the material you need to know for his exams comes from the class lectures. If he doesn't cover something in class, it won't be on an exam. His lectures are well-organized and easy to understand for the most part, but there is a lot of content, and they are quite monotonous. I fell asleep during multiple lectures, but catching up with the content was easy with the recordings. Sometimes he makes jokes though, which help make the lectures more engaging. Like other reviews have said, there isn't a lot of homework and the lab isn't difficult. I found lab fun, but it didn't really connect with lecture content too much. Make sure to keep up with your lab notebook; it makes it so much easier near the end of the semester. He also gives some extra credit with the TopHat questions and lecture quizzes, so make sure to do those. The first exam had less content than the rest, but only slightly. The exams are fair, but sometimes he words questions weirdly and his explanations if you ask him for clarification aren't clear. There was this one exam question that the whole class was confused about and his "explanation" of the question was frankly terrible. I probably would have gotten more points if he didn't explain. Exams consist of a few multiple choice, some short answer, and 2 long essay questions. The final is cumulative but only has multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, and short answer questions. The exams and lab assignments are graded by your TA, so hope you get a good one. You can get a regrade for exam questions, but I've heard that Frauwirth is pretty strict with regrading.
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/11/2024	Really great professor that makes lectures relatively easy to understand. I didn't find myself having to go back and review material super extensively after class. Not a lot of work, weekly textbook quizzes on canvas, lab assignments, and in class Tophat questions that are only graded for participation. Exams are relatively fair (some multiple choice questions can be pretty specific to certain lectures). Only downside is the grade is very dependent on the TA. My TA graded harsher than the others so many in my section struggled through the course. Frauwirth tried to be understanding but would only give a few points back on exams (if that) during office hours. Overall he's a good professor but I think the TAs need to be more consistent with their grading practices across the class.
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/02/2024	Very monotone voice that can be difficult to engage with at times. A lot of the class is review from other biology classes but ends up going more in depth. Lecture slides are packed with information so I recommend going back to watch the recording to make sure that you catch everything as questions on exams can be based on very specific things he mentions on lecture. The exams themselves aren't super difficult but it really depends on the TA you have (mine was a very tough grader with almost no partial credit). However, if you go to office hours he is likely to give a few points back.
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting an A Anonymous 04/24/2024	Attendance CAN be mandatory due to top hats, but some have gotten away with just doing it away from class. LECTURE-HEAVY. Get ready for content. He can be a little unorganized and blab away so try to keep an eye on what specifically he wants you to know for the exam. Hint** there's a ton of useful quizlets. Lab is tedious, it's a big waste of time BUT can be a tad fun as well as a great grade boost.
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/24/2023	Biggest tip I can offer is: Do NOT slack on that final just because you've done well on all your other exams. The final is a real kicker! Exam content is very fair and the professor is very smart. Lectures can be very content-heavy and it'll definitely test your attention span, but you'll learn a lot!
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/23/2023	So so nice and thoughtful. Has a lot of points which help boost your grade and is always willing to answer questions! Favorite professor so far for sure
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/21/2023	I cannot recommend Dr. Frauwirth enough for this class. First of all, he is a very nice professor and it truly shows that he wants you to succeed in this class. The class was very organized, you will have an textbook quiz once a week due before the first lecture of the week, you will have questions during the lecture that are graded just for participation, 3 midterms, a final, and separate assignment for the lab. This class can be boring sometimes and it could feel a bit slow but Dr. Frauwirth throughly takes the time to explain all the concepts and everything going on and if you pay attention you will understand everything he is saying. There are a lot of free points that helps your grade. The exams are very fair, the multiple choice section can sometimes ask some very specific questions but the short answer and the essay portion of the exam is usually filled with broad questions where there are a lot of ways to answer and get all of the points. The lab portion of this class is very easy and for the most part you will get out of lab early and get almost perfect scores on all the assignments (depending on your TA). Overall, taking BSCI330 with Dr. Frauwirth was amazing and I learned everything while also not having to stress about my grade too much.
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/19/2023	Great professor! No crazy homework, TopHat questions in class. HOWEVER, THE TA MAKES YOUR EXAM GRADE. There was a significant issue my semester with one TA (mine) grading extremely tough for her sections compared to the other sections. Frauwirth did nothing to change this. This made the exams way harder than needed to be. Otherwise a decent class
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/17/2023	He is overall very knowledgeable but can be extremely harsh. It was very humiliating to have questions about my exam and be made to feel unintelligent around so many other students. Nonetheless, he was always willing to help and provided many opportunities to do better.
Kenneth Frauwirth HNUH228V Anonymous 12/17/2023	Professor Frauwirth seems to be a good STEM professor, but he is not a good professor for other topics. In this class, we submitted four essays in September, October, November, and December. (He added the fourth one this semester!) It is now the last days of finals week and he has only graded one essay. He gave most people Bs on the first essay for "grammatical errors" and never gave us feedback on the other essays so that we could apply it. He then announced that our final 30 minute presentation is half our grade, wrote notes during the presentation, and hasn't graded it for four days. I am genuinely afraid I'm getting a lower grade in this class than my actually hard STEM classes.
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/09/2023	Anyone who doesn't love Frauwirth is an automatic red flag in my book, this man is the salt of the earth and truly a GEM. I wasn't supposed to have him originally, I had signed up for Parent due to all his sections being closed/not working for my schedule, but he ended up taking over for her due to some unforeseen events. His exams are super fair, there's about one lecture quiz per week (pretty easy, open note), participation questions during lectures, and a couple in lecture discussion posts. The lab is also pretty straightforward, as long as you keep on top of your work and don't leave the lab notebook til the last minute (I did and let me tell you, DO IT THROUGHOUT THE SEMESTER) it's fine. There are two big presentations (both group work), one individual lab report, and one group lab report along with some post-lab quizzes, but all are fine if you have a good group to work with. All in all this class is an easy A as long as you put the time and effort into studying + keeping up with your work, Frauwirth is an EXCELLENT choice of a professor and one of the few I've had that I can wholeheartedly say is passionate, caring and patient towards his students.
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 11/17/2023	Literally the cutest professor ever. We saw him with his kids and it was so wholesome, we all love Frauwirth. His exams are really fair, he really knows his stuff, and he records lectures.
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting an A- Anonymous 11/02/2023	Good, funny, and knows his stuff
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting an A Anonymous 08/23/2023	Dr. Frauwirth was an outstanding professor and I'm planning on taking his immunology class as well in the future. Don't get me wrong, this class is difficult and a lot of work, but he provides plenty of resources to set you up for success. The class structure was super organized, with pre-lecture quizzes each week, lectures with TopHat clicker questions, 3 midterms, a final, and the separate laboratory section. The lectures were engaging and Dr. Frauwirth has a great sense of humor. He also records the lectures which is super helpful for studying if you need to brush up on a topic. There are also a couple of extra credit points built into the course, which is nice. He provides sample questions for the exams and reuses questions from past exams which are also available. I found the exams to be kind of difficult, but I scored well on them. They included multiple choice and short answer questions, with 2 long answer essay questions except the final. This is definitely a material-dense course, but the content is actually super interesting and engaging, and it's cool to see how it aligns with other biology and chemistry courses. There is also a textbook, but personally I didn't really use it because his exams only cover content from the lectures. The laboratory section wasn't too bad, definitely try to get good lab partners. Overall I'd definitely recommend taking his class!
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/17/2023	What I appreciate about Dr. Frauwirth is that he didn't make this class harder than it needed to be. His exams were fair, as everything he tested on was outlined in the slides. In addition, there are a bunch of free points to boost up your grades, such as the lecture quizzes which are open note, participation tophat questions, cell biology in everyday life discussions, and the lab, which is essentially busy work, though Frauwirth doesn't run the lab. The only thing I wish Frauwirth did was provide a study guide for his exams, but if you study in advance, you should be fine.
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/09/2023	My favorite professor ever! So understanding and really knowledgable about the course. He tries to make the class as interesting as possible even though it sometimes might get a little boring. The exams are fair and he reuses a lot of questions.
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 01/31/2023	During the semester I took this course, I had a lot going on and ended up having to make up 3 of the 4 exams. Dr. Frauwirth was always incredibly understanding. He also records lectures, so if you miss any or were just confused, you could still keep up with the class. I found his lecture style incredibly helpful and could not recommend him more!
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 12/26/2022	Dr. Frauwirth is such a great guy, where do I start. When you hear him in lecture it is clear that he is experienced and passionate about the subject. He is always willing to answer any question and explain it to you in many different ways. If you ever have extenuating circumstances he won't be one to immediately shut you down like other professors. You should choose him has your teacher.
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/24/2022	Difficult class..basically all of it is memorization. Frauwirth is a good lecturerer and he records so you can always go back if you missed something. There were 3 midterms which were pretty fair since they contained info from his lecture slides. Lab portion was pretty easy if you had good groupmates. He reuses exam questions from previous semesters so try to find people that have taken him before. I had a B average on the midterms and final and ended with an A
Kenneth Frauwirth Expecting an A Anonymous 12/08/2022	Very nice guy, above average lecturer, records everything (but attendance top hat questions). Very accountable for himself, reuses weekly quizzes each semester. Tests aren't too bad. 6 MC, ~9 short answer, 2 essay questions (like 2-4 paragraphs). Tells jokes sometimes.
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting a B Anonymous 10/31/2022	I like Dr. Frauwirth! Clearly finds his own course interesting and explains everything in depth (sometimes, a bit too on depth), which is refreshing. He makes a lot of awkward jokes that I personally find hilarious. That said, the class is super boring and rehashes a lot of stuff learned in previous bio classes. He reuses exam questions and is pretty good about giving TopHat questions, even if you miss them during class you can email him to make them up. Some of the exam questions are super easy but some are fairly esoteric and you will get points off because you didn't state EXACTLY what the question asked for. Overall would not take again, but it's not the worst class in the world (like many required classes for the bio major).
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 07/17/2022	Make sure to show up for tophats since they are easy points. Otherwise, memorize the slides and pay attention if he says "on the exam" or "expect to see" because he will put a question on the exam on that topic. He likes asking very precise and detail-oriented questions, especially for his written/short response, so make sure to start reviewing early and memorize, memorize, memorize. Otherwise, a lot of the course only covers the surface level information on a wide breadth of topics so expect to see a fair amount of review. Unfortunately, this meant sometimes lectures were boring but at least that unit's exam is easy. Study smart and review early!
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/18/2022	boring class. focus on big pictures and form study groups! difficult class but not impossible, you got this!
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/31/2021	Not an easy A. I had to pull lots of all-nighters to remember every sentence he ever said because everything was fair game for exams (started studying everyday 1-2 weeks before exams). He is a nice guy & it is nice that there is some extra easy points built in so you can get an A with getting a mid B average on the exams. But, I suffered.
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting a C- Anonymous 12/21/2021	do not take. he isn't as nice as he was in his previous semester. no curve. no drop exam. less than 10 extra credits. Extra points only because he screwed up and didn't teach all the required materials for the final exam and speeded through 2 to 3 days worth of lecture materials last minute on the last day of class. Those 2 to 3 days' worth of lecture materials were 50 percent of the final exam. Also, his exam is not really straight from the lecture. His slides are limited with a lot of pathway systems that going to confuse you and aren't really on your exam. For your exam, if your answer is right, but it is not on his exam's answer key or lecture, it is wrong. Zero points, even though you are right. Thus, do not take knowledge from other biology classes into this class due to how he does the grading. He doesn't give you the answer key to his exam either, so you are stuck not knowing the right answer until the very end if you are a shy or a very business person that can't go to office hours. Overall, he is not a great professor when the weather, students' issue, covid, or college have other plans for his classes or exam. He does not change his plan or sympathizes with you. He is only a great professor when he screwed his own plan.
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/20/2021	whoever said frauwirth’s class is an easy A is a huge capper. his exams are highly specific and graded pretty strictly. he refused to make the final online because he was worried about cheating and “simply the desire to avoid the possibility of exposure is not reason enough at this time” and proceeded to give us the same exact final he gave to his online spring 2021 class. don’t forget that some people had access to that and studied off of that! kenneth is mids at best. take someone else
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI422 Expecting a C Anonymous 11/17/2021	He is the worst professor I ever had. He is a bad lecturer and he grades by few things. Also he doesn't seem to care about the students unless you go to his office hours, which I never did cause I took him in the summer.
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting an A Anonymous 11/16/2021	Frauwirth class is an easy A. His lectures are just reading off the slides, so studying the lecture material is a great way to prep for exams. He gives a small amount of exam prep via 10-12 sample questions. This semester he did video recordings so I barely went to class and he posted them regularly. He tries to make lectures fun to listen to with his jokes and enthusiasm, but tbh I could not retain much information because of how early the class was. I think he's a great teacher and the exams are fair (in my opinion easy if you take the time to study).
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/09/2020	This class is pretty boring, but as long as you watch the lectures and study the lecture material you'll do fine. He said we would need the textbook for quizzes but they are always based heavily on his lectures. He can be inconsistent with posting lectures so make sure to stay on top of them; sometimes he'll randomly post 3 videos at once and not again for 2 weeks. The tests were not hard and there are old exams of his available that he recycles questions from.
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI422 Expecting an A- flyfre 08/19/2016	He's a really great professor because he clearly cares about this material. Like the others have said, the material can get boring at times but he does his best to insert some humour here and there. He always, always answers question so raise your hand! For the exams, the best way to study is to know those slides! A ton of the figures from the slides are from the book but I personally didn't think you needed the book. Pay attention to the things in red on the slides and you can also just ask him what he expects us to know from the particular slide and he will gladly tell you. I also recommend recording the lectures, because the material can get pretty dense at times. Overall, highly recommend this class if you are pre-med. Kind of disappointed in the A- but he doesn't curve in the summer :/
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI105 Expecting a B+ ElishevaGlix 04/21/2016	Dr. Frauwirth is exceptionally knowledgeable. He goes very fast through lecture material and it may seem overwhelming but he ALWAYS answers questions. That's the secret to his class: don't be afraid to raise your hand mid-lecture and ask the dumb question everyone is thinking. Seriously, it will help a ton. Dr. Frauwirth also is reasonable about regrades and gives extra review sessions that are very helpful.
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI330 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/27/2015	Dr. Frauwirth and Dr. Jose teach this class together in the Fall. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THEM. Dr. Ades' class has way harder grading/tests/time. Do yourself a favor and take them! they don't change the format of the exams which is nice. the exams are off the slides and if you study, you will do fine. go to office hours just to meet some of the coolest people you will ever meet! Dr. F is a swing dancer and is aka bio-ken and Dr. Jose has done ground breaking research
Kenneth Frauwirth BSCI422 Expecting a B Anonymous 08/23/2013	Loved this class and loved Frauwirth. He's really good at lecturing and I felt he conveyed the course information well. Material was really interesting and relevant if you are pursuing med. Tests were hard but reasonable. If you study, you will most likely do fine.
Kenneth Frauwirth Anonymous 01/07/2010	The class itself is very interesting, especially if you're interested in a medical career. We looked at four topics all semester, and most of the class was discussion based. Before each topic, we had a couple of days of lectures just to gain background information, but other than that, the students run the class and Dr. Frauwirth actively participates in all the activities and discussions. Great class, great professor. Put in the effort, and you'll get the grade.
Kenneth Frauwirth Expecting an A dm 12/19/2009	Dr. Frauwirth defines the term BORING. Unless you're really interested in the subject, don't waste your time. As mentioned earlier, he tries to lighten up the class with his dull and dry sense of humour; it clearly never worked, since almost everybody was dozing off... LITERALLY. If u need a core requirement in LS, i am positive that there are better seminars you could take instead of this one.
Kenneth Frauwirth Expecting an A- stanleyj 01/21/2008	The class is pretty easy, you write four three page opinion papers and a final ten page paper. The class is mostly discussion and debate. The lectures can be boring but the professor tries to use his dry sense of humor to lighten the topics a bit.