He does a great job at teaching the course. There is a lot of content, but he makes lectures as fun as he can. He mentioned many interesting facts about Wisconsin, which I found cool. Attendance isn't mandatory, but the slides are vague, so you won't learn much just by reading the slides. I would recommend the class to anyone looking for a gen edRate My Professors ↗
Current instructor
Jim Berkelman
What students say
Original student reviews · all captured dates
pretty basic concepts of ecology, overall very easy to learn. test questions are multiple choice, but very specific questions, which makes it hard to prepare for. Kind of a boring lecturer, he gets on tangents once in a while, and has a monotone voice. But overall pretty easy class if you are looking for an easy natural science credit!Rate My Professors ↗
Jim has been my favorite professor here so far. He seems genuinely passionate about what he is teaching and workload is completely manageable. There's one discussion post per week and two nature walk activities that can provide a good amount of extra credit. Tests do require a fair amount of memorization, but they aren't too bad.Rate My Professors ↗
Prof. Berkelman is a very nice guy. The lectures are a little boring content-wise but he is pretty funny and tries to make them more fun. Very easy content just kind of boring. Grading was super lax, all the assignments were essentially full points if you do them on time.Rate My Professors ↗
This class is low-key a little boring, but the professor is super nice and passionate. The material is not hard to grasp however the tests are actually pretty difficult compared to what you would except because most of the questions are super niche and nit picky so that is a little tough. DO THE NATURE WALSK EARLY it gives you extra creditRate My Professors ↗
Jim is a great professor, he made me excited to learn about the topics he was teaching and he is very passionate about his work and field.Rate My Professors ↗
Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.
Classes with Jim Berkelman
A general survey of wildlife and wildlife conservation covering population management, habitats, and human interactions.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 2.94 GPA, 44.4% A/AB (n=124 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.01 GPA, 48.1% A/AB (n=108 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.03 GPA, 44.9% A/AB (n=136 letter grades).
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025Independent Study
1–3 creditsF&WECOL 299 is an independent study course allowing students to conduct research in Forest and Wildlife Ecology under faculty guidance.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sampleF&WECOL 318 covers major environmental factors, population structure and behavior, and conservation of regional wildlife communities.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.26 GPA, 63.0% A/AB (n=46 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.09 GPA, 52.9% A/AB (n=51 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.38 GPA, 65.1% A/AB (n=43 letter grades).
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025F&WECOL 399 is a coordinative internship in Forest and Wildlife Ecology under faculty guidance.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
Special Problems
1–4 creditsF&WECOL 699 is a special problems course allowing individual advanced work in Forest and Wildlife Ecology under faculty guidance.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sampleA practicum providing instructional orientation and direct teaching experience in agricultural and life sciences at the higher education level.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
Recorded teaching history
Explore courses taught by this instructor →Browse recorded courses
| Term | Course | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Fall 2026 | F&WECOL 110 | Living with Wildlife - Animals, Habitats, and Human Interactions |
| Fall 2026 | F&WECOL 299 | Independent Study |
| Fall 2026 | F&WECOL 318 | Principles of Wildlife Ecology |
| Fall 2026 | F&WECOL 399 | Coordinative Internship/cooperative Education |
| Fall 2026 | F&WECOL 699 | Special Problems |
| Fall 2026 | F&WECOL 799 | Practicum in Forestry and Wildlife Ecology Teaching |
Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.
Instructor identity & provenance
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