On the first day of class, Dr. Falkinham stated that genetics would be the hardest class we took at Virginia Tech. With the way he taught it, his statement couldn´t have been further from the truth. Dr. Falkinham was an excellent professor who did an incredible job of explaining very difficult material to the class. At times, I almost felt like he was going too slowly. For people who have difficulty with genetics, I would really recommend Dr. Falkinham. He is very accessible to students and is eager to meet with students to go over problems or questions. His grading is very fair, with four tests and a final. The lowest grade was dropped and students who got good grades on the first four tests could choose to not take the final. Koofers were available for the class, but I did fine without the koofers. I finished the class with a much better appreciation of genetics and a great deal of knowledge.

The best thing about Genetics with Joe was that a lot of the questions on the koofers he gave were on the actual exams. I didn't give him a very high rating as a professor, mainly because it was because of the practice tests that I did well. I found that his lectures did not sufficiently prepare me for the exams.

I'll start out by saying that if you go to all the lectures, study your notes and the book, you'll get a definite A. His tests are not hard, you just have to have the discipline to study for it. The first test is very easy -- basic genetics from gen bio so try to do your best on it. All 4 tests are multiple choice, 50 questions. Then there's a cumulative final and 10 homework assignments. The homeworks are on blackboard and not timed--use your book and do well on these because the average counts as a test score. He doesn't give extra credit but drops the lowest of all 6 scores (hw, 4 tests, final). He teaches the material in a very understandable way and at a pace that was perfect for me. I'd strongly suggest taking Falkinham.

I really enjoyed Falkinham's genetics class despite that it was an 8 am class his teaching style was very helpful for me which made it worth it. He is specifc when it comes to what you should know for his exams and the homework assignments and passed exams are good examples of what an exam is going to be like. Going to class is probably the single best thing you can do to succeed in this class. It's not an easy class but it is definitly managable and I found it to be enjoyable as well.

The only thing I really disliked about him was that he showed favoritism towards the female gender. I'm not even lying; on a test (I sat in the front of the class), a guy asked him for clarification and he said he can't tell him but when I girl asked him the same question, he gave a detailed answer. So, if you're a girl, take this class. If you're a guy, take this class and sit in the front of the class during exams.

Joe was a great teacher, although I had him at 8AM and was struggling to stay awake, he was a nice guy that is always willing to see you during office hours and is a lot of help =) take him if you can! Make sure you do the practice exams that he posts on blackboard before tests!

good teacher, but his teaching style might be different than previous teachers. He doesn't use power point nor the book..well at least he uses pictures from the book. but you do not have any actual notes from him on paper. you take them yourself while he is lecturing.

A great professor. If you do the work and study, you'll do fine on the tests. He doesn't try to trick you on the questions, you have either studied it and know the material or you don't. Very straight forward class.

Joe is a great guy, he gives koofers to all of his tests and they usually mirror the text questions and homeworks. go ask him if u have the right answers to the homework, its not worth missing easy points.

Go to his lectures, tests straight from his lectures. Tests are normally easy if you attend the lectures but he talks quiet and it's hard to stay awake sometimes.

First couple of tests are easy, then they really get easy. You take 4 tests and HW count each for 20% then you can drop one and take the optional final to replace.

Pros: Class is fairly easy. He's a pretty funny guy. Homework are easy and if you don't know them go to office hours to get your 100 every time.

Cons: He's not very respectful to his students. Class is pretty boring. Getting up for 8 am sucks a LOT

Falkinham was a pretty funny guy. The examples he gives in class are quite hilarious and he talks about his grandchildren a lot. Yes, he is NOT very nice to individuals, I sent him an email asking him whether or not something is gonna be on the exam and he responded: "NO" like I'm stupid or something. But I still got an A for the class. My advice is to just go to his classes, read the book over the sections that he lectured over (he should send this to you, if he doesn't just email and ask him and he'll send it to you). Get 100 on the hw, there should be no reason not to, if you don;t get it just go to his office hours and ask him. Look over PRACTICE EXAMS!!! The one he post and if possible the semester before that! That is your BEST study guide for his exams, because a lot of questions stays the same. With this, you'll do fine. I didn't even take the final, which is another thing I should mention. There are 6 grades, 5 of them are exams (one final) and 1 of them is all the hw. If you do well on first 4 exams and the hw you don't have to take final because he drops whatever lowest grade of these.

Pros: He definitely knows his stuff. He does a good job keeping the class interesting. Optional final.

Cons: He does not use powerpoint or put his notes up anywhere, so you HAVE to be paying attention in class. 8am sections.

I loved this class. I have friends who are not big fans of Dr. Falkinham, but he didn't give me any trouble at all. I thought he was funny and engaging, and even without any sort of lecture notes or powerpoints up on the board, I had no trouble keeping up with him. You absolutely have to go to class though, because there's no other record of what he covered. His homework assignments were easy, and if you do his koofers you'll be fine on his exams. The final is optional if you like your grade after the midterms!

Pros: I love his teaching style. He puts up a picture from the textbook, talks about it for 20-30 minutes, then puts up another picture and does the same. His tests are almost completely based on old tests he's given, and sometimes in class he'll actually tell you a question and the answer choices on the test. Also, there are 6 grades: HW, Tests 1-4, and the Final. You can drop one of the 6 and the others will count as 20% of your final grade each.

Cons: The textbook is almost never used. He hates the textbook and goes in much less detail than the textbook does, so I advise that you go to the lectures and rely on the textbook as little as possible.

As long as you go to the lectures and go over old tests, you'll do fine.

Pros: Homewrk is worth 1 test grade and you can take 4 tests plus the final to help your grade. The class is offered at 8am so it can be really hard to stay awake at times becuase of the material. he is a really nice guy and go to his office hours for help on the hw he is always there and very helpful. Also go there before the tests to go over past exams and the practice ones he puts up on scholar.

Cons: the material is hard and his tests are hard. You think you know the material and then you don't get an A. The final is really hard so if you don;t have to take it don't. It was a waste of my time.

This class was pretty hard. I would study my @$$ off for days before the exams and would squeak by with low 80s. I went to most (90%) of the classes and just barely got a B. Joe is a funny and good professor but his tests involve more application than just remembering facts and many times, the book nor classes covered some concepts on the test. Fortunately, we could drop a test and also opt out of the final if we did well on homework and tests. Now, genetics wasn't really my forte so that was part of why it was hard but it wasn't just me. Office hours are highly recommended btw.

Pros: - Uses old tests and koofers (BEST PART) - Even helps you figure out problems on old koofers even if he didn't give you the old koofers - takes some test questions from the hw - very organized - straightfoward - makes genetics as interesting as it can be

Cons: - only teaches 8am classes - if you get caught cheating, the whole class is screwed - he started making 2 forms of the exam that didn't really match with the koofers - 8am - 8am - 8am

Pros: Makes it easy to get an A

uses past exams and koofers questions on exams

He is a good professor, class is a bit boring at times and its difficult to stay awake in since its at 8 am but overall i enjoyed this class. just study the koofers questions and you should be able to do well on every exam

Knows his stuff--but his lectures have a tendency to be a little more general than what he asks for on the tests. Study the concepts he covers in class in detail on your own. Wish it weren't at 8 AM-- I have a hard time absorbing anything at that time of day!

Pros: Most of his previous tests are on koofers, however... (see cons)

Cons: For some reason he decided to switch up the 3rd test completely from the koofers this semester, and considering I didn't really go to class much, that hurt.