Current instructor

Christopher Tilmann

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 2.43/5 from 14 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

What students say

Original student reviews · all captured dates

GENETICS 466
Quality 2/5Difficulty 4/5
Dont take this professor if you can help it. His explanations almost seem like he expects you to know the material already and hes just reminding you about it. He also never responds to emails. I mean never. I had an issue with one of his online exams and emailed him three times. Never responded. Also the only grades are the four exams...
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GENETICS 466
Quality 4/5Difficulty 3/5
Tilmann was a good professor. Everything tested in the course was very fair for the content taught in and out of class. Exams are online honor locked but only screen proctored. The only grades are exams and in class attendance points, with an additional 5 points of out of class review sessions
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GENETICS 466
Quality 1/5Difficulty 5/5
The exams he makes are freaking ridiculous. The questions are confusing as heck. I spend half the time just trying to understand what he's even asking. And he usually requires you to put the answer in an oddly specific format or else it will be marked as wrong. Would definitely NOT take a class with him ever again.
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GENETICS 627
Quality 1/5Difficulty 3/5
Be ready to have assignments randomly created three days before they are due. Lecture? No, he won't lecture, instead he will assign 1-2 hour long pre-lectures and use lecture as time for in-class assignments. Is the structure of the course laid out clearly in the syllabus? No, the syllabus is the most vague I've seen in my three years at UW.
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GENETICS 466
Quality 2/5Difficulty 4/5
Tilmann clearly knows his stuff, but fails to understand that students usually don't. He assigns copious amounts of prelecture material, and expects you to watch his past lectures before attending actual lecture which cover the exact same material. However, you can't skip lecture due to random attendance quizzes. Also, 90% of your grade is 4 exams.
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with Christopher Tilmann

Independent study involving research work in Genetics under the direct guidance of a faculty member, with students arranging work and credits with the instructor.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2023–Spring 2024 · limited sample

Principles of Genetics covers genetics in eukaryotes and prokaryotes, including transmission, molecular, and evolutionary genetics, genetic engineering, and societal issues.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Christopher Tilmann

Christopher Tilmann's grading relied heavily on 4-5 exams, with some terms including easy discussion posts. Students found lectures straightforward but criticized exams for containing vague, trick questions that did not reflect lecture content. Feedback disagreed on Tilmann's teaching approach, with some noting he failed to explain material while others found the testing fair.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Genetics Laboratory provides practical experience in classical and molecular genetic techniques using plants, animals, and fungi, covering topics from gene mapping to PCR and Southern blotting.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.90 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=10 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.41 GPA, 81.8% A/AB (n=11 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.60 GPA, 90.0% A/AB (n=10 letter grades).

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Advanced genetics course on genetic mechanisms of animal embryonic development, focusing on molecular circuitries, pattern formation, organogenesis, and animal models of human congenital disorders.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Christopher Tilmann

Christopher Tilmann was described as accessible and caring, with valuable lectures that sometimes felt overwhelming in depth.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026 · limited sample

Individual study for majors completing theses for Honors degrees, arranged with a faculty member.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2022: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=1 letter grades).

No recorded grade history

Special Problems course for individual advanced work in Genetics under faculty guidance.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2016: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=6 letter grades).

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Recorded teaching history

Distinct courses recorded per term

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Spring 2027GENETICS 299Independent Study
Spring 2027GENETICS 399Coordinative Internship/cooperative Education
Spring 2027GENETICS 466Principles of Genetics
Spring 2027GENETICS 545Genetics Laboratory
Spring 2027GENETICS 627Animal Developmental Genetics
Spring 2027GENETICS 682Senior Honors Thesis
Spring 2027GENETICS 699Special Problems
Fall 2026GENETICS 335Genomes in a Modern World
Fall 2026GENETICS 399Coordinative Internship/cooperative Education
Fall 2026GENETICS 466Principles of Genetics
Fall 2026GENETICS 545Genetics Laboratory
Fall 2026GENETICS 567Companion Research Seminar
Fall 2026GENETICS 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026GENETICS 699Special Problems

Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.

Instructor identity & provenance
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