Ecology and Evolution

I took this with Prof Sam Byrne. He was very kind and accommodating. He is approachable and I went to him often in office hours. Homework is completion based. Exams are a little tricky as you have to write a lot and in a very detailed manner to get full credit (they are open note). Not that much homework, just one problem set a week. Overall, Byrne is a very sweet professor who genuinely cares about his students. In the instances of the unfortunate student deaths, he and the other bio profs extended the deadline of our second exam, changed the format of the exam to make it a bit easier, and extended the time limit.

I took this with Prof Sam Byrne. He was very kind and accommodating. He is approachable and I went to him often in office hours. Homework is completion based. Exams are a little tricky as you have to write a lot and in a very detailed manner to get full credit (they are open note). Not that much homework, just one problem set a week. …Read more

Lecture: Professor Byrne is honestly a saint. EcoEvo is a somewhat difficult biology course due to the fact that it's a section of biology that most people don't typically study much of before college, and he does a really good job of laying the foundation of understanding for this course. If his teaching style doesn't click with you, he is really good at providing alternative examples during TA hours. Most importantly, this professor is SO compassionate and understanding. He pushes you to do what he knows you're capable of, but makes himself readily available as a resource to the students. If you're struggling with life related issues, this is one of the professors that literally changes your life by being able to still educate and motivate you rather than a) giving up on you or b) holding your hand through the entire thing. Lab: I had professor Nurok. One of the coolest labs I've done. While I'm personally not a fan of the curriculum that is taught in ecoevo, the labs are very cool. You get to go outside, catch snakes (if you want), and experience a very hands on approach to learning science. Professor Nurok is also one of the most compassionate and understanding lab professors out there. Similarly to Byrne, she pushed me to do what she knew I was capable of and she was always providing her help as a resource. Amazing professors and amazing people. You can tell that both of them really love what they do. While the material isn't my personal taste, I would take this course over and over just to have the refreshing experience of these two professors again. They are the only reason I continued my degree during one of the hardest times in my life.

Lecture: Professor Byrne is honestly a saint. EcoEvo is a somewhat difficult biology course due to the fact that it's a section of biology that most people don't typically study much of before college, and he does a really good job of laying the foundation of understanding for this course. If his teaching style doesn't click with you …Read more

Feyten was always passionate about ecoevo. before mondays class there was a required reading from the textbook and occasionally a case study. by class time on wednesday you had to individually complete about 5 multiple part questions and they were discussed in small group during class. fridays class was a review of that weeks topic and Feyten would answer some of the questions submitted by small groups. exams were open book but challenging and you could complete a "wrapper" to get some points back. there are many opportunities to meet with Feyten to discuss material, exams, etc. the other reviews mention that Feyten/this course was quite difficult but that shouldn't be confused for a difficult professor. for an introductory science course with a passionate professor i found Feyten to be quite accommodating and approachable. Feyten really wanted to see students understand the material

Feyten was always passionate about ecoevo. before mondays class there was a required reading from the textbook and occasionally a case study. by class time on wednesday you had to individually complete about 5 multiple part questions and they were discussed in small group during class. fridays class was a review of that weeks topic a …Read more

Professor Eggleston is a highly skilled and informative teacher. Unlike many other lectures at Middlebury, Erin frequently engages the class by asking difficult questions that make you apply knowledge to different tasks. I would highly recommend taking eco evo especially with professor Eggleston. The lab component is also interesting and provides for many opportunities to go into the field and learn the material at a deeper level.

Professor Eggleston is a highly skilled and informative teacher. Unlike many other lectures at Middlebury, Erin frequently engages the class by asking difficult questions that make you apply knowledge to different tasks. I would highly recommend taking eco evo especially with professor Eggleston. The lab component is also interesting …Read more

I really enjoyed this class, especially the lab portion. The way the course was structured was you would have a lecture Monday and Friday, while you met with a small group every Wednesday to answer the weekly reading questions. I didn't really enjoy this aspect of the course because I don't think I learned a lot from talking about the readings with my peers. I would have enjoyed it more if it was just 3 days a week of pure lectures. With that said, I also really liked Professor Moody. He was super nice and it's obvious that he loves biology. The exams are somewhat difficult, but they are graded fairly and aren't too bad if you keep up with the textbook reading.

I really enjoyed this class, especially the lab portion. The way the course was structured was you would have a lecture Monday and Friday, while you met with a small group every Wednesday to answer the weekly reading questions. I didn't really enjoy this aspect of the course because I don't think I learned a lot from talking about th …Read more

The exams were somewhat difficult, but they are open note and by far the most difficult part of the course overall. There is also an opportunity to gain back points lost on the tests. The homework assignments are fairly easy and mostly graded for effort. Overall, a pretty chill but informative class.

I really enjoyed this class I wanted to see if wanted to take biology for my major and this class conformed it. Every week you have to do discussion questions which can take a while. The lab reports can be long but TA hours are very helpful. I would say this class can be a lot of work at times, however it is easy to get a 100 on all of the homeworks and due well on the tests. This class will help you decide whether bio is for you!

I really enjoyed this class I wanted to see if wanted to take biology for my major and this class conformed it. Every week you have to do discussion questions which can take a while. The lab reports can be long but TA hours are very helpful. I would say this class can be a lot of work at times, however it is easy to get a 100 on all …Read more

Professor Byrne is a great lecturer and super understanding of students needs, but I did not enjoy the content of eco-evo, and I strongly felt like it had an unnecessarily high workload (a fair amount of busy-work), probably because it's a weeder class. The content is very similar to AP bio in high school, but the labs are pretty valuable, and taught me much more about statistics than anything biology related. There are 2 separate canvas pages with separate assignments, so be prepared for a lot of work. The exams are take-home and open-note but are still pretty difficult, mostly because you have to write a lot to earn full credit. Overall I love Byrne and wish I could take a different class with him, I just didn't enjoy the content/nature of eco-evo very much.

Professor Byrne is a great lecturer and super understanding of students needs, but I did not enjoy the content of eco-evo, and I strongly felt like it had an unnecessarily high workload (a fair amount of busy-work), probably because it's a weeder class. The content is very similar to AP bio in high school, but the labs are pretty val …Read more

This class was very chill, which makes it a lot easier depending on your other classes workload. The course load to be pretty light, only an assignment a week for a discussion on Wednesdays with the TA. The lab was more difficult than the lecture. All of the exams are individual, not proctored and open note. Overall the professor and the course is chill and not overwhelming.

I really loved EcoEvo. As a conservation biology major, it is a required class for me to take and I completely see why. We learned a lot of really valuable course material as well as skills that are helpful if you are interested in the sciences. Sam Byrne was an extremely friendly professor who always listened to the class and gave us what we needed.

The work was pretty easy, and getting an A is not difficult in lecture if you do the independent questions and participate. Exams are a small percentage of the course grade overall. There was group work once per week where we went through the individual questions and helped clarify ideas. Overall, not too difficult but not too exciting all the time. Lab was relatively simple, with clear instructions and lots of TA and office hours to utilize. Lab is 50% of the total grade.

The work was pretty easy, and getting an A is not difficult in lecture if you do the independent questions and participate. Exams are a small percentage of the course grade overall. There was group work once per week where we went through the individual questions and helped clarify ideas. Overall, not too difficult but not too exciti …Read more

Professor Byrne is a very kind and thoughtful person. The entire class is graded for completion except for exams. All of the exams are open note open book but are quite challenging. The lab section for this class is very chill- probably the chillest lab I have taken at Middlebury. However, the lab reports do take a while but directions are straightforward.

This was a challenging course and with the lab class, it almost had the amount of work as two classes. However, it was very interesting material and well-taught. With both lab and lecture classes assigning labs and exams, large midterm assignments feel very frequent.

Pretty easy class that is mainly review if you took AP Bio or APES in high school. The exams are open note and take-home. I am personally not the biggest fan of the structure of the class, which is lecture on Monday and Friday, and going over the homework in small groups on Wednesday. Still, I learned some new things and never stressed about the class or lab. Prof. Feyten is really caring and gets too many negative comments. Important class to get out of the way for Bio majors.

Pretty easy class that is mainly review if you took AP Bio or APES in high school. The exams are open note and take-home. I am personally not the biggest fan of the structure of the class, which is lecture on Monday and Friday, and going over the homework in small groups on Wednesday. Still, I learned some new things and never stress …Read more

Professor Feyton was fair with her grading and the exams required specific application of the concepts however they were not too difficult if you prepared and had organised notes. The class incorporated group discussions every week which was nice to break up the lectures and discuss with your peers. Overall, this was a good class if you're interested in ecology and want to learn more about biology.

Professor Feyton was fair with her grading and the exams required specific application of the concepts however they were not too difficult if you prepared and had organised notes. The class incorporated group discussions every week which was nice to break up the lectures and discuss with your peers. Overall, this was a good class if …Read more

This class was fine overall but professor Felten was not my favorite. She seemed to overcomplicate many concepts in lecture and the exams questions were vague yet she grades them harshly. Most of my exam question responses started with "I agree but..." and after going to office hours, everyone there was only from the Feyten class, asking the same questions to which the TA's did not understand what Feyten wanted.

This class was fine overall but professor Felten was not my favorite. She seemed to overcomplicate many concepts in lecture and the exams questions were vague yet she grades them harshly. Most of my exam question responses started with "I agree but..." and after going to office hours, everyone there was only from the Feyten class, as …Read more

Exams were open note but were graded pretty hard. The lecture was really clear and helped to make the readings more understandable. Lab was definitely the best part of the class even though the reports were really time consuming. Definitely a good class to take if you’re interested in Biology.

This class was very fun, particularly the lab in which you get to go on field trips to different nature sights to collect data. Professor Ash was an incredible and extremely accommodating lecturer: she explained the material very thoroughly and the exams reflected almost exactly what we went over in the lecture. Overall, I had a great experience in this class.

Professor Feyten is so nice and super sweet. The exams can be tough and she is a pretty harsh grader. You can tell she is super enthusiastic about the material! There are weekly individual response questions about the reading material, along with weekly discussion sessions and lectures.

It was clear Professor Feyton was enthusiastic about the subject. A lot of reading in the beginning but it gets easier to read as the semester progresses. Tough grader for tests but they're open note. Individual discussion questions are assigned which are also a bit tough. Lab with Dash was fun just a bit time consuming.

I took AP Biology in high school, so I thought that a lot of the material was similar to what I learned in that class. However, it went more in depth and I thought that most of the material was very interesting. One thing that I liked was the specific examples that were given with the material and the case studies that we read.

I absolutely loved Professor Moody. He was so funny and super knowledgeable. The discussion sections also really helped with understanding the material through working with your peers. Exams were very fair and accurately assessed your knowledge of the material.

I really did enjoy this course with Professor Eggleston! She is really enthusiastic and will always help you understand anything too difficult. The only problem I had was with her exams because the questions were very vague and you were expected to know every detail that she wanted. The lab was super fun and very interactive, and Professor Nurok is the sweetest person who will always work to help you!

I really did enjoy this course with Professor Eggleston! She is really enthusiastic and will always help you understand anything too difficult. The only problem I had was with her exams because the questions were very vague and you were expected to know every detail that she wanted. The lab was super fun and very interactive, and Pro …Read more

I went into this course thinking that I wanted to pursue a pre-med track but eco/evo made me realize that upper-level bio was not what I wanted to do. Feyten was nice and cared a lot about the course material but, I did a lot of work for very little in return (I didn't learn much in this class). If you'd like to take this class to fulfill a pre-med requirement, please do it. I would reconsider if you're taking it because of a general interest in biology.

I went into this course thinking that I wanted to pursue a pre-med track but eco/evo made me realize that upper-level bio was not what I wanted to do. Feyten was nice and cared a lot about the course material but, I did a lot of work for very little in return (I didn't learn much in this class). If you'd like to take this class to f …Read more

I enjoyed the schedule of having lecture, group discussion, and another lecture within the week schedule. The group discussions were based around a worksheet which was helpful because they were in the same style as the written response exam questions but hard to sit through if no one did the readings.

The course information is really good and there is a lot of time to go over material. Feyten is harsh with grading though for exams it is tough! Readings for monday, wednesday group discussion based work, friday further lecture and recap. The lab is super chill and useful as well.

The material is pretty interesting and easy to understand if you read the textbook and attend the lectures. The textbook is key to doing most things in the class, especially the discussion questions and exams, so I would definitely recommend reading it. Overall, great class!

Professor Eggleston is a fantastic and very engaged professor, and her lectures were mostly very thorough. However, she wasn't very helpful during office hours and the exams for her course were borderline impossible. I've never been more frustrated in my life as when I took this course. She's a good professor but an incredibly harsh grader. Study hard if you plan to take eco/evo with her!

Professor Eggleston is a fantastic and very engaged professor, and her lectures were mostly very thorough. However, she wasn't very helpful during office hours and the exams for her course were borderline impossible. I've never been more frustrated in my life as when I took this course. She's a good professor but an incredibly harsh …Read more

I love Professor Allen. He made this course amazing and something I looked forward to (even though it was at 8am). Professor Allen always takes the time to explain concepts and make sure that everyone understands the material. I also appreciate that exams aren't all that matter and that there are so many other assignments that allow you to display your knowledge in the course.

David Allen is a great professor who is clearly very passionate about this course. He is super accomodating and understanding. The course is fairly easy and the coursework is not overwhelming at all. The exams are straightforward and the labs, especially the outdoor ones, can be pretty fun.

This course was fun and easy. Labs weren’t difficult and reminded me of high school bio classes. The lecture section was easy enough, involved some group work, and exams. Exams were take home, online, and pretty straightforward. Would take a class with Dave Allen again.

Eco Evo with dave Allen was a very easy course. Lectures were pretty boring, but other than readings (which I never really did) there was no real work until exams. Exams are on the lectures, NOT stuff in the textbook readings that he didn't go over in class. Lab was boring but easy.

Professor Coe was great during this class! With the lab component included, it was a bit more time consuming than I anticipated. Overall, this class was super interesting and I would recommend. The professor is very accomodating and fair with grading!

The course felt like a lot of review from AP Biology. I enjoyed the lecture section of the class but felt that the lab portion was tedious. Both professor Coe and Nurok are great teachers and very nice people.

Eric Moody is a deceptively funny guy. You will be sitting there listening to him describe something boring like ecosystem stability and all of a sudden a meme with Drake and a duck will be on the screen summoning giggles from the entire class. He is a tough grader but very fair and understanding. Monday and Friday have been lecture days and Wednesday is a group discussion day where we go over the weekly problem set. I would definitely take the class again and recommend it to anyone looking to take a biology course!!!

Eric Moody is a deceptively funny guy. You will be sitting there listening to him describe something boring like ecosystem stability and all of a sudden a meme with Drake and a duck will be on the screen summoning giggles from the entire class. He is a tough grader but very fair and understanding. Monday and Friday have been lecture …Read more

It is very clear that Professor Feyten cares about the material and her students. The lectures can be a bit slow, but she is very thorough with ensuring students have the necessary resources to succeed.

Tough class, can be a lot of work. Interesting structure, in which small group discussion took place once a week in place of a lecture. Make sure to study things in the format of what the exams will be like, that’s very important.

This class was very similar to a higher level high school biology class, which makes it a lot easier. I found the course load to be pretty light, but the lab was a good amount of work. For the lecture every Wednesday a series of questions were due that you then work in your TA group to make sure everyone understood the material. The exams were not too difficult and they were online, but that may have been due to some COVID restrictions. Overall I really enjoyed the course and definitely enjoyed professor Coe and her teaching style.

This class was very similar to a higher level high school biology class, which makes it a lot easier. I found the course load to be pretty light, but the lab was a good amount of work. For the lecture every Wednesday a series of questions were due that you then work in your TA group to make sure everyone understood the material. The …Read more

Professor Allen's expectations are clear. The papers discussed throughout the course are interesting and relevant to the field. He is incredibly knowledgable and he finds interesting ways to tie our learning to the Vermont landscape. His exams and grading are both fair.

The readings were all very relevant and were an appropriate length for what was being discussed. The lectures were very informative and succinct. Tests were difficult but there was nothing unfair. The lab section corresponds well with the lectures and the workload is balanced. Overall, a well taught and enjoyable class.

Moody is great, he seems like a fair grader and is will give you partial credit on exam questions. He's also always happy to chat about concept questions or random biology questions. This class also does exam corrections which means you can gain back point which was super helpful. Not a lot of homework per week, about 20 pages of textbook reading a week and a worksheet. Mondays are lectures, wednsday is discussion with groups on the homework, and friday is either a lecture or an activity to apply the concepts. Would definitely recommend.

Moody is great, he seems like a fair grader and is will give you partial credit on exam questions. He's also always happy to chat about concept questions or random biology questions. This class also does exam corrections which means you can gain back point which was super helpful. Not a lot of homework per week, about 20 pages of te …Read more

Overall I really enjoyed this course, I felt like it was very similar to Natural Science but much more in-depth and organized (I much preferred this course). Even as a non-bio major, I felt like the concepts were pretty easy to understand and there are a lot of TA's to go to for help if you need it. Labs were very interesting and grading for the lab portion was fair (Nurok will take points off for serious errors, but overall she wants you to learn). Eggleston's grading was a bit harsh/unclear on exams; sometimes if felt unclear what she was asking for with the questions.

Overall I really enjoyed this course, I felt like it was very similar to Natural Science but much more in-depth and organized (I much preferred this course). Even as a non-bio major, I felt like the concepts were pretty easy to understand and there are a lot of TA's to go to for help if you need it. Labs were very interesting and gra …Read more

I took this class as a non-stem person but legitimately curious about the subject matter, open to learning as much as I could. Unfortunately, the course is not designed for people hoping to learn, but is clearly set up for pre-med students who need to intake information to spit out later. The concepts in lecture are very vague inferences I could have easily explained before taking the class, yet lots of detail is required in responses on exams. The skill builder assignments in lab are incredibly prescriptive, teaching you how to check certain boxes and meet scientific writing standards but not encouraging you to learn or think creatively. Perhaps academic curiosity wasn't actively suppressed, but it certainly wasn't encouraged. If you're a major, best of luck. But if you're a humanities or other student simply hoping to learn something, don't waste your time here. Don't be afraid to go to TA hours constantly and ask for help, everyone does it and your mental health will thank you.

I took this class as a non-stem person but legitimately curious about the subject matter, open to learning as much as I could. Unfortunately, the course is not designed for people hoping to learn, but is clearly set up for pre-med students who need to intake information to spit out later. The concepts in lecture are very vague infere …Read more

Eric Moody is a great professor. He is very knowledgable on biology and evolution. He also tries to make the class as engaging as possible with interesting slides (all of which he also posts) and some interesting activities. He always makes sure he answers everyone's questions. The exams were take home and every Wednesday was a group discussion on questions from textbook readings. There were tons of resources to help students succeed.

Eric Moody is a great professor. He is very knowledgable on biology and evolution. He also tries to make the class as engaging as possible with interesting slides (all of which he also posts) and some interesting activities. He always makes sure he answers everyone's questions. The exams were take home and every Wednesday was a group …Read more

I really liked this class, the field work was fun and he was super chill. If you need a SCI distribution requirement definitely take this class. II learned a lot with out it being overwhelming and would highly recommend any class with Moody

Moody is obviously so passionate about what he teaches, and after a few classes you realize that he's actually hilarious. Monday/Friday is generally lecture and Wednesday is group work (you generally won't see him at all). Tests are open note with a focus on real life examples.

Professor Erin Eggleston had high enthusiasm when teaching this class! She was also very helpful during office hours when answering any questions I had. The exams were not difficult, however the ways in which they were worded could be very confusing at time. The labs, especially the outdoor labs, were great and made learning really fun!

I believe Dave Allen was teaching 3 sections a day and for this reason I understand his slightly lackluster teaching style. However, he was fair, kind, and his overall affect was pleasent. I was able to succeed in this class with minimal effort and while my interset in the subject was not high there was nothing about this class that should steer someone away from taking this pre-requisite with Dave Allen

I believe Dave Allen was teaching 3 sections a day and for this reason I understand his slightly lackluster teaching style. However, he was fair, kind, and his overall affect was pleasent. I was able to succeed in this class with minimal effort and while my interset in the subject was not high there was nothing about this class that …Read more

Allen is an amazing professor and is very helpful during off hours. The lecture was fairly easy to follow and understand. I also enjoyed the lab as a whole but it does have outside labs which was a bit cold.

This course followed the same structure every week with reading, discussion questions, and then discussing these questions in a group which made the work easy to follow. Lecture sometime's didn't feel the most engaging but the group discussion questions definitely clarified concepts. All exams were on canvas but we're still sometimes difficult despite being open note.

The exams allowed for open notes, but they were evaluated quite rigorously. The lectures were exceptionally well-delivered and greatly enhanced the comprehension of the assigned readings. The lab sessions unquestionably stood out as the highlight of the course, despite the fact that the lab reports demanded a significant time commitment. It's certainly a worthwhile class to consider if you have an interest in the field of Biology.

The exams allowed for open notes, but they were evaluated quite rigorously. The lectures were exceptionally well-delivered and greatly enhanced the comprehension of the assigned readings. The lab sessions unquestionably stood out as the highlight of the course, despite the fact that the lab reports demanded a significant time commitm …Read more

Professor eggleston was a tougher grader, especially compared to the other class who had Moody. Class overall was somewhat interesting, but boring at times since it is intro level biology. It wasn't hard, it just had a lot of reading and felt like busy work a lot of the time

Lauren was always very enthusiastic during lectures and available if we had questions about problems/exams etc. The exams were graded very fairly, and we had many opportunities to increase our grade in the class.

I really enjoyed this course with Professor Coe. They are very passionate about the material and approachable. The material is interesting and the lectures were very helpful in my opinion. I also really enjoyed the labs they were very fun and hands-on.

I was excited to take this class going into it, as the content in it has the potential to be very interesting, but my experience in it was underwhelming. You can tell Professor Feyten is very passionate about what she is teaching, and but it is unfortunately conveyed through a fast paced lecture, where I take away very little about the material for the week. Exams are take home which is nice, but she looks for very specific words in your answers so it can be tough to earn all credit for question. It was one homework assignment every week, so there is not a lot of time required outside of class. However, most of my learning of the material happened while doing the homework, not in lecture. Overall I did enjoy this class, and would recommend it as a solid introductory class.

I was excited to take this class going into it, as the content in it has the potential to be very interesting, but my experience in it was underwhelming. You can tell Professor Feyten is very passionate about what she is teaching, and but it is unfortunately conveyed through a fast paced lecture, where I take away very little about t …Read more

This was a good course. It was interesting material and the labs for this class were very fun as we were able to go outside. Professor Allen is a very fair professor and does not try to kill students with exams. Everything was pretty straightforward.

I loved having Professor Moody as a professor. He clearly wanted his students to succeed and was willing to work with students to meet their goals. His workload was manageable, and his lectures help break down the reading.

The discussions we had every wednesday were pointless, and the material we had to pre-read for the discussions could be long and boring. The tests weren't hard, just long but they were open note. Prof spoke rlly fast

Make sure to participate in group discussions!!! Aside from this Professor Eggleston is available to go over exam questions which I found help and wished I had done sooner. Keep up with readings, this class is manageable.

Feyton was clear and concise in her lectures and clarified questions when necessary. She was a little strict with grading but fair enough. The content of the course was interesting and Feyton certainly shows enthusiasm towards it.

The readings can be difficult, but the group discussion can help clear up any confusing topics. The homework can take a few hours to complete. The exams are take-home and open-note, but the exams are still difficult nonetheless.

Ecology and Evolution was a good class. I enjoyed the labs and fieldwork element and felt that it helped the class remain interesting and fun. The course content is pretty memorization heavy but easy enough to grasp.

I think Coe made this class more engaging than any other professor in the department. She is so awesome and a good grader. Exams are take-home and open notes for this course. There is homework every week.

This course was interesting for those interested in bio, but not worth the time for those who aren't. The exams were tough, but they are not worth a lot of your grade in the class. You can definitely get away with doing little work outside of class, but that may set you behind in content learning. Overall, I enjoyed, but it's not for everyone.

This class was pretty chill! Not super hard but not the most engaging (just by nature of being an intro course). Dave was super nice and always answered questions and gave us more than enough time for exams!