MICROBIO 304 introduces modern laboratory techniques for studying the distribution and properties of microorganisms.
Exams are hard and require extensive knowledge of the material, and students must fight for good grades in labs due to unclear grading criteria.
All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors
MICROBIO 303 or concurrent enrollment
“Used by” includes alternatives; linked courses may have other requirements. This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.
Betty Slinger is approachable and ambitious, but her strict and sometimes confusing standards create challenges. Reviewers note that grading criteria are often unclear, with points deducted for issues not explicitly listed in the rubric.
Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.05 GPA, 33.8% A/AB (n=130 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.26 GPA, 48.7% A/AB (n=156 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.15 GPA, 38.8% A/AB (n=134 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.
No course-specific feedback yet.
Historical reviewer Melissa Christopherson received high praise for her helpfulness and accessibility, with one student describing her as the best professor they had ever encountered. This positive experience suggests strong instructor support for students in this course.
BETTY SLINGER is recorded teaching in Fall 2023, Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
MELISSA CHRISTOPHERSON is recorded teaching in Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Fall 2024. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAB 001 | Classroom Instruction | 38 / 38 | 11 |
| LAB 002 | Classroom Instruction | 35 / 38 | 4 |
| LAB 003 | Classroom Instruction | 37 / 38 | 5 |
| LAB 004 | Classroom Instruction | 36 / 38 | 10 |
Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections. Enrollment reflects scan time.
Dr. Slinger is approachable but has strict, confusing grading standards that make exams difficult and require extensive knowledge, while labs remain enjoyable.
Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.05 GPA, 33.8% A/AB (n=130 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.26 GPA, 48.7% A/AB (n=156 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.15 GPA, 38.8% A/AB (n=134 letter grades).
Exams are hard and require extensive knowledge of the material, and students must fight for good grades in labs due to unclear grading criteria.
Labs are often interesting and enjoyable, but the strict and sometimes confusing grading standards create frustration regarding point deductions not in the rubric.
– 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 · 0.11 GPA average error.
Through Fall 2026
Latest available grades · Spring 2026 · 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.
1283 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.
Biology of Microorganisms Laboratory
Recorded 2026-09-07[
{
"run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
"semester": "1272",
"observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
"offering_id": "1272:192:001601",
"course_id": "MICROBIO 304",
"course_uid": "course_799b6ea6c2cf692a040668e2",
"term_id": "1272",
"source_course_id": "001601",
"source_subject_id": "192",
"title": "Biology of Microorganisms Laboratory",
"credits_min": 2,
"credits_max": 2,
"typically_offered": "Fall, Spring, Summer"
}
]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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