One of my favorite teachers. I'm so happy that he teaches a bunch of biology classes. He talks reallly fast so bring your laptop and verbatim copy what he says--i promise it will help. The iclicker ?s make good test ?s. Overall I read the book fo...
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One of my favorite teachers. I'm so happy that he teaches a bunch of biology classes. He talks reallly fast so bring your laptop and verbatim copy what he says--i promise it will help. The iclicker ?s make good test ?s. Overall I read the book for every test and thought the exams were completely fair--he throws out low average test ?s. I feel the break out sessions were the most challenging because you don't think to prepare--but you should because it could be a grade determinant in the end when you dont want to take the final. Overal GREAT teacher
Professor rated by: Biological Sciences Student on 12/7/09
Helpful Rating?
YES
NO
+4 Helpful
2
BIOL 2104 - Cell and Molecular Biology
Some reading assessments are as long as 55 pages, then two days later another 30 pages are supposed to be read so you can basically understand the lectures. He has a monotone voice, yet he talks very fast, so he makes you feel tired and bored out of...
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Some reading assessments are as long as 55 pages, then two days later another 30 pages are supposed to be read so you can basically understand the lectures. He has a monotone voice, yet he talks very fast, so he makes you feel tired and bored out of your mind during his lectures.
He does not have a good grasp on the concept OF TIME MANAGEMENT ...It is unrealistic to get through 55 slides in one lecture period, he tries to do that and we end up getting behind in pace. some of the material not covered in his lectures due to time mismanagement, are still on the exam. Use the CD in the textbook. DO NOT WAIT TO READ ALL OF THE MATERIAL A WEEKEND BEFORE THE TEST, IT WOULD BE LIKE 150+ PAGES.
Pros:
He seems to know a lot about the subject and he can be funny, sometimes unintentionally. His class is rough but if you can manage it, sign up
Cons:
His TAs do not seem to know what they are doing, and that is probably tied to the unorganized nature that the professor has. He does not post old exams and he is very scattered during class periods. The review sessions and the review guides are not helpful at all and the text book is a must to survive.
Professor rated by: Animal and Poultry Sciences Student on 11/12/10
Helpful Rating?
YES
NO
-1 Helpful
Student Ratings 1 - 20 of 131
BIOL 2104
Cell and Molecular Biology
5
One of my favorite teachers. I'm so happy that he teaches a bunch of biology classes. He talks reallly fast so bring your laptop and verbatim copy what he says--i promise it will help. The iclicker ?s make good test ?s. Overall I read the book for every test and thought the exams were completely fair--he throws out low average test ?s. I feel the break out sessions were the most challenging because you don't think to prepare--but you should because it could be a grade determinant in the end when you dont want to take the final. Overal GREAT teacher
Professor rated by: Biological Sciences Student on December 7, 2009
Helpful Rating?
YES
NO
BIOL 2604
General Microbiology
5
Seyler was very friendly and seemed to know a lot about microbiology. His powerpoints were easy to understand and I admit that I never cracked the book open. His tests were from his power points and he only ever took info from those. Overall, the class was very easy, just kind of boring sometimes. I didn't go to class towards the last half of the semester, but I studied the power points and got a B+ even though I don't think I worked hard enough for it. I really liked him though--he's very easy to talk to and always available. He also holds review sessions and gives a lot of extra credit through his breakout sessions. Great class.
Professor rated by: Biological Sciences Student on May 13, 2007
Helpful Rating?
YES
NO
BIOL 2104
Cell and Molecular Biology
4
He's a really nice and charismatic guy, and he's pretty effective in communicating the material. He has extra credit clicker points and breakout sessions which are grade boosters. The real problem with the class was how boring the material was. This made it difficult to pay attention and sometimes miss important notes that were on the tests. His tests were basically straight from his powerpoints and lectures, but they were still somewhat difficult. Overall he was a pretty good professor, an A or a B is definitely managable.
Professor rated by: Biological Sciences Student on December 18, 2009
Helpful Rating?
YES
NO
BIOL 2604
General Microbiology
1
Pros: none, don't get him
Cons: he gets his power points mixed up a lot, he has a monotone voice, makes things more complicated and boring than they have to be, untrustworthy
He is by far the worst teacher i have had at Virginia Tech. Example, he and his TAs said that we wouldn't need to know specific examples of things we were learning like thermophiles and halophile, well it was 10% of the test. Afterwards i asked him why they were on the test when he said they wouldn't be, his response, "you didn't need to know them, just recognize them". Yah like I'm gona just know some random bacteria. And then his power points started to get mixed up, during lecture, I spend half the time switching between power points trying to find the slide he is on. He is a terrible teacher.
Professor rated by: Biochemistry Student on November 3, 2011
Helpful Rating?
YES
NO
BIOL 2604
General Microbiology
5
Not the easiest class I have ever taken, but a good class. Seyler is a good teacher, he knows his stuff and is always available for help. Study for his tests..you need to know a good amount of detail so i wouldn't wait until the night before. I'm not a big fan of bacteria.. but he made the class fairly interesting so it wasn't too bad. Go to his office hours..He's a great resource to have- he will help you make contacts with the right people to further whatever major you might be pursuing.. especially pre-med (he also teaches at VCOM).
Professor rated by: Biochemistry Student on April 30, 2007
Helpful Rating?
YES
NO
BIOL 2104
Cell and Molecular Biology
3
Seyler is an easy teacher... but I still didn't like him. I didn't like his style of teaching at all. He doesn't round up either so a 89.9999 is still a really good B+ as he always says. He uses clicker questions for attendance and extra credit. There is an optional final. My least favorite thing about the class were the breakout sessions where we break into groups and work on a problem for the whole class.. worth 6% of your grade so you HAVE to be there.
Professor rated by: Biological Sciences Student on February 2, 2010
Helpful Rating?
YES
NO
BIOL 2604
General Microbiology
4
His exams are quite difficult. He posts all of his lecture notes but he adds to them so you should attend class. He doesn't use the book at all but I used it to help me with my homework and for clarification of notes.
Professor rated by: Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise Student on September 17, 2007
Helpful Rating?
YES
NO
BIOL 2104
Cell and Molecular Biology
4
Pros: Funny professor. He is a nice person if you talk to him. He is very personable despite being a bit geeky haha. Sometimes, he throws out these corny jokes that make you laugh in class which help liven the atmosphere.
Cons: He can be a bit dry at times because the material is not always interesting, but he cant always help that. The tests are a bit difficult if you dont study all the details
The tests are a bit difficult and kind of unfair at times. Some of the questions are extremely small details so you really have to know all of the nitty gritty details of every figure and chart. You have to study for his exams a lot, but it is worth it in the end because you can skip the final if you are happy with your grade. He also drops a test grade, so it is very easy to do well if you try! I recommend him.
Professor rated by: Biological Sciences Student on December 9, 2010
Helpful Rating?
YES
NO
BIOL 2604
General Microbiology
3
Dr. Seyler is extremely nice, but he is not very organized, and this drove me crazy. He said we would have a homework assignment every week, and we only had 6 the entire semester, most of which were crammed into the last few weeks. His tests are pretty difficult as well, but there is a method to studying for them. He uses slides every class, and if you use the slides and understand the diagrams that they relate to in the book (along with the tiny print on every slide) the tests should not be too bad. It is very easy to get a B in this class, and if you are happy with your grade before the final you don't have to take it, but it is harder to get an A. Overall, Seyler is not a bad choice, and the class does not require too much effort for at least a B.
Professor rated by: Physics Student on May 14, 2009
Helpful Rating?
YES
NO
BIOL 2104
Cell and Molecular Biology
4
He is a very nice man, and you can tell that he really likes what he does. I've been to office hours and he really likes when his students come to ask questions and is happy to help.
His lectures are out of control though. He goes pretty fast and likes you to print slides for class- doing this allows him to go pretty fast though, so you have to pay attention and keep up. He's also a little scatter-brained (I'm in his micro class this semester too and I think he forgets what class he's teaching sometimes b/c he'll forget to say somethings and add them in randomly later.
Overall though, he's a good guy and if you study, you'll get an A or B.
Professor rated by: Biological Sciences Student on February 25, 2009
Helpful Rating?
YES
NO
BIOL 2104
Cell and Molecular Biology
3
The class was slow and hard to pay attention in. I-clicker's were used in class and 2% extra credit was given if you attended 80% or more of classes. There were a a few homework assignments and were fairly difficult. The exams were much harder than the material gone over in class so I would suggest reading the book and taking very detailed notes. Break out sessions, which were small groups that had a few problems to solve, occurred before each exam. The homework, participation points, and break out sessions all helped my grade greatly which was needed because the tests are so hard.
Professor rated by: Biological Sciences Student on January 1, 2010
Helpful Rating?
YES
NO
BIOL 2104
Cell and Molecular Biology
5
Pros: Super nice guy and really cares for his students. Knows his stuff. If you do well on the tests and are happy with your grade, then you don't have to take the final.
Cons: Occasionally forgot slides on the printout notes, or he would add some in that we didn't have.. etc.
There are 2 breakout sessions, where you get into groups of 5 and work on a "critical thinking" type problem. They are usually an easy 2 extra points to your grade. The breakout sessions are during class.
Professor rated by: Biological Sciences Student on April 6, 2010
Helpful Rating?
YES
NO
BIOL 2604
General Microbiology
3
When choosing a Micro class, I searched for the teachers to see who would be best. Seyler had the best reviews, but I really disliked this class. The material was boring, but more then that, Seyler himself was boring. He has a bit of a stutter and honestly I just had a really hard time paying attention in class. I know other people who had no objections to him, but I personally found his class absolutely terrible. Personal preference, I guess.
Professor rated by: Animal and Poultry Sciences Student on May 7, 2008
Helpful Rating?
YES
NO
BIOL 2604
General Microbiology
3
He is a good teacher... but is very dull and boring. If you are a person who falls asleep in class a lot then this is not a good class for you. He puts the slides for notes on powerpoints but you have to go to class to actually get them. extrac credit are iclicker questions during class. His exams aren't that difficult if you study but the open ended on his exams are the toughest
Professor rated by: Biochemistry Student on November 30, 2009
Helpful Rating?
YES
NO
BIOL 2604
General Microbiology
4
hes funny. I got a C in his class and I should have had an A. DO THE HOMEWORK and get a 100 on them..that will help. His exams are easy now that I look back on it. Im pissed at how I got a a C. I waited until the night before to study. He post study guides. Hes funny but REALLY boring. Im looking forward to cell and molecular bio with him
Professor rated by: Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise Student on January 31, 2010
Helpful Rating?
YES
NO
BIOL 2104
Cell and Molecular Biology
4
This teacher is pretty cool. He's always prepared for his lectures, and is able to explain concepts well. He uses a Clicker though, which drops him in the ratings a little. Watch out for his homework, they are only announced on Blackboard and get much harder as the semester proceeds. His tests are also tricky.
Professor rated by: Biological Sciences Student on September 24, 2008
Helpful Rating?
YES
NO
BIOL 2104
Cell and Molecular Biology
4
Dr. Seyler makes the material as easy to follow as possible if you print the slides and read the book also, although he can be hard to pay attention to. I recommend him for both Cell and Molecular as well as Microbio because a lot of the material repeats and some of his slides are similar.
Professor rated by: Animal and Poultry Sciences Student on December 10, 2008
Helpful Rating?
YES
NO
BIOL 2604
General Microbiology
4
Although Dr. Seyler's lectures can be a bit dry at times, his tests were not horrible and offers up to 3% extra credit to be added to your final grade. He posts all of his slides on scholar and as long as you study them, you should be able to get at least a B.
Professor rated by: Biological Sciences Student on December 9, 2009
Helpful Rating?
YES
NO
BIOL 2104
Cell and Molecular Biology
4
Fair teacher, offers a lot of extra credit, and you are not required to take the final which is amazing. However, the material is really boring so you will probably end up falling asleep in class at least once no matter how hard you try.
Professor rated by: Biological Sciences Student on December 15, 2009
Helpful Rating?
YES
NO
BIOL 2604
General Microbiology
5
I took Dr. Seyler in Summer 1. He's a very knowledgeable teacher although he isn't the most entertaining. Still, a very nice person. Very approachable. Take him if you have the opportunity.
Professor rated by: Biochemistry Student on July 19, 2009
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