Current instructor

Chris Hittinger

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 3.00/5 from 25 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

GEN466 · course not matched
Quality 3/5Difficulty 2/5
Was only for one of the units. Teaching was kind of all over the place, kind of distracting/ hard to listen to or follow along
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GEN466 · course not matched
Quality 4/5Difficulty 4/5
I had a general good time with Professor Hittinger. He was able to explain complex topics quickly and effectively. Despite doing worse than I would have liked in the course, I did learn a ton from him. My only two complaints were the lack of partial credit on his exams, especially on the questions that required multiple calculations.
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GEN522 · course not matched
Quality 2/5Difficulty 3/5
You have to write a discussion post and respond everyweek, plus read a paper and write a summary, significance statement and relevant questions with each being only one sentence but under 50 words. They are heavily scrutinized, so if you think something is less important about the paper, think again. There is also a group project. DONT MISS CLASS
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GENETICS 466
Quality 4/5Difficulty 4/5
Hittinger was very passionate about his subject and explained it well. His exam was a good mix of common sense questions about significant figures, and calculations. The exam followed his previous exam format so be sure to look over the one he posts. He was funny, but overall just pretty boring and moved fast. The calculations are not hard at all.
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GEN466 · course not matched
Quality 4/5Difficulty 2/5
Dr. Hittinger overall is a good lecturer. He sometimes talk a bit too fast, and it spend me some time to follow. However, the slide is very clear and give you 90% of the information that would be on the exam.
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GEN466 · course not matched
Quality 1/5Difficulty 5/5
He is one of the worst professors I've ever had at UW. Monotone voice and teaches extremely irrelevant material during lectures that is not even remotely close to the material that is tested on the exam. Exam questions mostly fill in blank calculations with zero partial credit given, even if you are within 0.001 margins. Do not take him!
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with Chris Hittinger

BIOLOGY/GENETICS 522

Communicating Evolutionary Biology

2–3 credits

Communicating Evolutionary Biology exposes students to diverse contemporary topics through guest lectures on primary research, developing critical thinking and communication skills; the 3-credit version deepens outreach to varied audiences.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Chris Hittinger

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026
GENETICS 299

Independent Study

1–3 credits

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

Francisco PelegriAhna Skop+49 more

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2023–Spring 2024 · limited sample
GENETICS 466

Principles of Genetics

3 credits

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 · Chris Hittinger

Students described Chris Hittinger as helpful and knowledgeable, with fair exams and supportive office hours. Reviewers noted that lectures were sometimes confusing or fast-paced, and recommended doing textbook problems and reviewing study guides to succeed in the class.

Chris HittingerChristopher Tilmann

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026
GENETICS 699

Special Problems

1–3 credits

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

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Francisco PelegriAhna Skop+55 more

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026
GENETICS 990

Research

1–12 credits

Independent laboratory research in preparation of a graduate thesis under supervision of a faculty member.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

David BaumJeff Hardin+71 more

No recorded grade history

MICROBIO 990

Research

1–9 credits

Graduate research course involving full lab and literature review of a microbiology problem, leading to thesis and publication preparation.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Michael ThomasPaul Friesen+34 more

No recorded grade history

Recorded teaching history

Distinct courses recorded per term

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Spring 2027BIOLOGY/GENETICS 522Communicating Evolutionary Biology
Spring 2027GENETICS 299Independent Study
Spring 2027GENETICS 466Principles of Genetics
Spring 2027GENETICS 682Senior Honors Thesis
Spring 2027GENETICS 699Special Problems
Spring 2027GENETICS 990Research
Spring 2027MICROBIO 899Independent Study
Spring 2027MICROBIO 990Research
Fall 2026GENETICS 299Independent Study
Fall 2026GENETICS 466Principles of Genetics
Fall 2026GENETICS 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026GENETICS 699Special Problems
Fall 2026GENETICS 990Research
Fall 2026MICROBIO 699Special Problems
Fall 2026MICROBIO 899Independent Study
Fall 2026MICROBIO 990Research

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

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