Covers basic principles of ecology, transmission and population genetics, and evolutionary mechanisms including the origin of life and species diversity.
The ecology textbook is often considered useless since exams rely on lectures, though the genetics text is useful. Students report the content is not too difficult but requires independent work to navigate unclear exam expectations.
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Declared in Biology Core Curriculum Honors Certificate
“Used by” includes alternatives; linked courses may have other requirements. This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.
Reviewers describe Irwin Goldman as passionate and clear, noting he provides helpful study resources and cares about student success.
Other reviewers report that he spends excessive time on Darwin trivia, which causes him to rush through harder material or fall behind schedule.
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.63 GPA, 84.1% A/AB (n=88 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.59 GPA, 68.1% A/AB (n=91 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.55 GPA, 65.6% A/AB (n=64 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.
Brian Kirkpatrick is knowledgeable and delivers solid lectures, though he tends to read slides and solve example problems without student participation. Reviewers note that content is not too difficult, but exam focus can be inconsistent with lecture coverage.
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.63 GPA, 84.1% A/AB (n=88 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.59 GPA, 68.1% A/AB (n=91 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.55 GPA, 65.6% A/AB (n=64 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.
Evelyn Howell provides detailed lecture notes that help with exams, though her lectures are frequently described as boring, disorganized, and too fast for note-taking. While she is generally accessible and willing to answer questions, some students find her grading criteria unclear or harsh, and her office hours can be frustrating. Technology issues and reliance on slides also create learning barriers for some.
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.63 GPA, 84.1% A/AB (n=88 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.59 GPA, 68.1% A/AB (n=91 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.55 GPA, 65.6% A/AB (n=64 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.
No course-specific feedback yet.
No course-specific feedback yet.
No course-specific feedback yet.
Historical reviews for Phil Simon describe him as knowledgeable but unclear, with lectures that jump into concepts without defining terminology. Reviewers found his teaching style inconsistent and difficult to follow, suggesting independent study was more effective than attending class.
AMY MOSER is recorded teaching in Fall 2015, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Fall 2018, Fall 2019, Fall 2020, Fall 2021. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
BRIAN KIRKPATRICK is recorded teaching in Fall 2023, Fall 2024, Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
EVELYN HOWELL is recorded teaching in Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Fall 2018, Fall 2019, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Fall 2024, Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
IRWIN GOLDMAN is recorded teaching in Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Fall 2018, Fall 2019, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Fall 2024, Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
PHILIPP SIMON is recorded teaching in Fall 2014. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
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| Section | Mode | Enrolled / capacity | Waitlist |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | Classroom Instruction | 97 / 88 | 0 |
| DIS 301 | Classroom Instruction | 15 / 15 | 0 |
| DIS 303 | Classroom Instruction | 16 / 15 | 0 |
| DIS 305 | Classroom Instruction | 18 / 12 | 0 |
| DIS 306 | Classroom Instruction | 14 / 16 | 0 |
| DIS 302 | Classroom Instruction | 17 / 15 | 0 |
| DIS 304 | Classroom Instruction | 17 / 15 | 0 |
Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections. Enrollment reflects scan time.
Reviewers disagree on lecture effectiveness, with some praising engagement while others find pacing disorganized. Students generally find the material manageable but emphasize independent study due to unclear exam expectations.
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.63 GPA, 84.1% A/AB (n=88 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.59 GPA, 68.1% A/AB (n=91 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.55 GPA, 65.6% A/AB (n=64 letter grades).
The ecology textbook is often considered useless since exams rely on lectures, though the genetics text is useful. Students report the content is not too difficult but requires independent work to navigate unclear exam expectations.
Howell's text-heavy slides and fast pacing make note-taking difficult, though her detailed notes help. Goldman's engaging lectures are sometimes disrupted by irrelevant trivia, and his slides contain typos. Kirkpatrick's lectures are solid but passive.
– average GPA
Approximate 80% prediction interval
The course’s semester-average GPA, not an individual student’s grade. The center uses 5 same-season terms, weighted toward recent results.
The range uses the finite-sample 80th-percentile rank of absolute errors from earlier same-season forecasts. Each forecast uses only records from earlier terms. At least four forecasts are required; bounds are rounded outward and limited to 0–4. This is an empirical estimate: changing instructors or grading policies can reduce its coverage.
8 earlier forecasts · 0.16 GPA average error.
Through Fall 2026
Latest available grades · Fall 2025 · all course levels
GPA
Higher than % of other courses in this group.
Course GPAs · red marks this course’s range
letter grades
More recorded grades than % of other courses in this group.
Typical course in this group: letter grades.
1320 courses over the same term, each with at least 30 recorded letter grades. Cross-listed courses count once. GPA is not a measure of difficulty or teaching quality. The typical course is the median by recorded grade count; tied values are not counted as lower. Grade counts describe course scale, not unique students or typical section size.
Descriptions compare GPA with this group’s average: at least 0.20 higher or lower; otherwise close to average. Section size uses median recorded enrollment: small up to 30, mid-sized 31–99, large 100+. Lectures and discussion/lab sections are described separately.
Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.
Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.
Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics
Recorded 2026-09-07[
{
"run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
"semester": "1272",
"observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
"offering_id": "1272:206:001913",
"course_id": "BIOCORE 381",
"course_uid": "course_52a1055a4196c042b145bf49",
"term_id": "1272",
"source_course_id": "001913",
"source_subject_id": "206",
"title": "Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics",
"credits_min": 3,
"credits_max": 3,
"typically_offered": "Fall"
}
]Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.
Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.
Explore recorded gradesRecorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.
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