Don't just don't.

He was the worst biology teacher ever. Does not cover everything rushes through and cannot answer questions.

His class is so boring that he puts you to sleep. Very slow. Cannot explain things well.

He laughs a lot in class talks about himself and boasts. Doing very little to teach.

Tests are multiple multiple choice. Talks too much in class. Does not cover what is on the test. Even his teaching assistants don't seem to know what to cover on his tests

His is so boring and I cannot understand him. May seem like a caring professor but he is really a mean person.

He wants you to know everything he knows even if he does not even teach it. Ask him for office hours he will change the subject.

My number 1 opp. big yapper and terrible at explaining things. Definitely the worst professor I have ever had and the worst professor out of the 3. Said a certain topic would not be on the exam and then it ended up being on the exam.

Genuinely what he yapping about half the time???? I mean the info isn't that hard but be ready to teach yourself

Definitely a great professor even if the other BIO101 ones might be most people's favorites. He is very clear about what he expects, and mentions multiple times you have to read the textbook (which you do). Lectures are clear and easy to understand, and while he does go on tangents they are relevant and sometimes funny. Overall no complaints

Constantly off on tangents. Is always behind on lecture material. Lectured a lesson for the exam the day of the exam.

He is okay. Tries to be funny but goes off topic a lot and sometimes doesn't get through all content covered in quizzes, so you end up teaching yourself some of the content. Would recommend studying the vocabulary words from the textbook.

Dr. Orrock is the definition of corny but in a good way (in my opinion). His lectures do go off topic a lot but usually it's relevant examples outside of the slides. Writing down just what is on the slides is probably fine.

Holy yap it's like this guy is speaking a different language not to mention how off topic he goes. it's hard to make clear of what is important for the exam and what is not important because of all the yapping and off topic he goes. praying i do good on this final

The meanest and laziest college professor. He talks off subject about himself. Refuses to help. Gets mad when asked for help

Never in my life had I had such a careless selfish professor. Who makes his test multiple mulitipel choice.

Very challenging just for an elementary level class. I had to repay with a different proffessor much easier.

Half through and I was forced to drop suffered so bad. Please don't take him.

For an elementary level class his skills are elemnetary at teaching. Tough class because of his laziness. Does not answer questions and will not tell you office hours. In fact he is rather rude when you come to his office.

Read his mind and you pass. His tests are multiple multiple choice both A and B kind of questions. He is horrible at explaining.

He has the TA teach for him but this TA was mean as him. He likes to take the easy way out. Thinks everybody should think him tests multiple multiple choice.

Laziest and meanest professor ever. I am surprised he has been here for so long.

He does not care about students and loves making class hard.

He was the sweetest out of all professors and his lectures were best! He does mention multiple times that you need to read the textbook and that exam questions from reading are fair game. I did enjoy his content but if I had no prior class about ecology it would have been tough! He is also the last professor in class but gave it a refreshing feel.

Amazing professor. He Is enthusiastic and shares material in an understandable way for ALL students. Overall he was the best bio 101 professor out of the three and his unit was the only unit that I enjoyed.

He seems very excited about teaching the material and does a great job of explaining the topics. The tests were manageable, but there were some things on the exams that were not talked about in lecture. So, for his section I would recommend reading the textbook in depth. Overall, very laid back professor and fair exams.

To all who might want to take classes with this professor, only one thing to say: RUN! Although the materials are pretty basic, this professor gives the most ridiculous tests ever. He would literally ask questions that are not covered in class and frame the question in an unreasonable way.

He isn't consistent and tends to go into detail about things that aren't relevant which makes him behind in his lectures. He'll still assign lecture quizzes though, even if he hasn't gone through the material yet.

Prof. Orrock is such a nice human. He is clearly very passionate about what he teaches. This isnt an easy class, but his lectures are really interesting and easy to follow.

he keeps the class engaged during class. You can tell he likes teaching.

Horrible! Not worth it. Difficult tests with stuff not in the notes.

You need to be really clever to pass his exams. Which is horrible. His questions are pointless. He has a lot in lecture that is not in the exams.

He is lazy as he refuses to help. His notes are useless. He says a lot things in class that are not on the test, and he has many mathematical problems that he does not put on his notes.

Of all the classes I took why did his class have to be around the covid pandemic. His long boring lectures and excessive power points. I wish he was fired.

In person was already tough but the transitioning made it a lot harder. Hopefully by next year things will be easier for anyone having to take him. But if there are other options I strongly recommend them.

Why did it have to be this class during the covid? It was bad enough before the online transition but then got worse. He refused to answer questions to help and ruined my grade :(

The middle of the three lecturers we had. Test was trickier than I was expecting although not too bad. Study a good amount and you should not have any issues with this class despite what MadGrades tells you

Dr. Orrock isn't a bad professor but his lectures are really boring and seem like common sense most of the time. His exam was hard and he was unclear about what was going to be on it. I never went to his office hours so I don't know how true the other reviews are. If he was teaching a more difficult class I probably would have struggled.

The absolute worst professor I have ever taken in my entire life. While in class it looks understandable and he acts nice but whenver I tried asking for help afterward he coulld not answer and refused to tell me his office hours. Worst of all he did not help me in his office he was complaining and teaching much poorer than he did in class.

I am so glad this course is over it was just so scary.

He gives a lot conceptual problems but few he actually goes over enough in class. He also has too much things in lecture that are never on his exams. Whenever I tried getting his help he tried avoiding me.

This class is supposed to be an elementary level calss he made it really hard. I took intermediate classes easier than his class. Maybe he needs to learn how to teach.

This is the hardest biology class I had ever taken in my life.

All I heard was positive reviews about this teacher before I took him last year. He also seemed nice and caring but then when I asked him for office hour he refused to tell eventhough dashboard was not working. When I came to his office he was grumpy and not helpful. His tests were bad.

He gives problems but they are totally different from his exams problems compared to what we practiced in class.

This class gave me nightmares and sometimes I still have them. His lectures are bad and his tests are so awedul.

This bio class was so hard just for a 100 level.

His class was more like an intermediate if not advance class. I wish he was obligated to make it much more easy.

He relies mainly on his lectures to teach but most of the stuff in lecture was not on the exams and lost of the stuff on the exams were not covered the way he had presented the material in lecture.

I don't thinks he knows what is doing. He very rude when someone asks questions. He does not give good feedback or hint what is on his exams.

His class realys mainly on his tests which are horribly written and are nothing like his lectures.

He just talks very boring lectures that are not easy to understand making his class hard.

His tests are questions are difficult (d. A&B). He really expects you to know it and thinknlike him and does not like answering questions. He never curves his tests for the few who really know it.

He was very funny and lectures were always interesting but he tends to go off topic and then run out of time for the important stuff. I liked him a lot but his exam was the hardest one of the three Bio101 professors for Fall 2018. Make sure you understand his lecture material and maybe try to use the textbook for more information, I didn't.

Orrock was the best lecturer out of the 3. He was funny which kept our huge class engaged and explained concepts really well

He is a really bad professor. His lectures are ok, but his tests are unreasonably challenging which count for more than his assignments which do not even help with his exams. His is rude when you come to his office.

Professor Orrock is a solid lecturer. Sometimes it felt like things moved a bit too slowly (especially when it was simple material) and other times it felt like we moved surprisingly fast. Overall though he is a good and clear lecturer. His test felt pretty standard compared to those of the other 2 professors for this course (Bement and Thoma).

He is good based on the lectures, very clear and funny. The exam looks a little unfamiliar is maybe due to the contents.

Professor Orrock cared very much about the material he was teaching the class which was encouraging. He did speed through lectures and gave A LOT of material. But he is a great professor nonetheless.

Not a bad professor. Never made it through his lectures on time but overall he was decent.

Orrock is definitely one of the best professors I've had at UW-Madison. He's hilarious. His enthusiasm and jokes help to make learning the material a lot easier. He makes the tests pretty tricky, but if you come to lecture every day and study the material for a decent amount of time you'll be fine. Overall, he's a great guy.

Very Jekyll and Hyde. He is incredibly personable and kind in lecture but once you stay after to ask him a question or email him he becomes a different personality entirely. He is rude, abrasive, and will not hesitate to insult your intelligence for asking a question.

Prof. Orrock is very passionate about evolution and ecology. He tells a lot of jokes and tries to make the information engaging and relatable. His exam was harder than I expected it to be, but I still did well. His lectures are on level with Thoma's, and he is very approachable!

super nice guy and good teacher. really wants people to do well and to understand his lectures. also very funny

He is incredibly passionate about ecology and does a great job at making his lectures clear. He gives great real-life examples that help you remember the information. My favorite out of the three lecturers.

I took this course with John Orrock specifically because I had him for Zoo101 last semester & he was amazing, and this semester he did not dissapoint! He is so funny & makes the lectures entertaining. He is great at converying the main points he wants you to know & tries to make things relatable by using fun, "hip" examples. My favorite professor!!

Really engaging even in talking about a subject that was pretty boring to me and that I was only taking for a requirement. Helped me understand the material far better than other lecturers I had for the same class over the course of the semester.

Prof. Orrock is one of the best lecturers on campus. He is super relatable and takes the time to make sure he's giving good examples in class. The tests are more than fair, but it is nearly entirely taken from lecture. As long as you take decent notes, this is an easy pass with a good teacher.

His section of this course was by far the most engaging. He gave real life examples and made hilarious references to Snoop Dogg to get his point across. He is a great professor.

His test was more difficult than anticipated though pretty fair. Very entertaining during lectures and which you remember material. Sometimes moves at a fast pace but overall a good lecturer and fair grader.

Dr. Orrok tried very hard to be a clear and relatable lecturer for BIO101. I found him really funny (in a dorky way), and really enjoyed his lecture style. It was never boring. Additionally, he wrote his test in a very fair way, and provided a lot of extra credit on it. Would definitely take again.

Dr Orrock is hilarious, enthusiastic, and knows his stuff. He gives great explanations, and made what I thought was going to be a boring section of zoology very interesting. He writes class notes on the chalk board, which was awesome. His test was not terrible. If you study and know the material, you'll do great.

He strikes a good balance between knowledgeable and funny. His lectures tend to contain a lot of material, but he's good at providing examples. He writes definitions on the blackboard so you'll have to attend if you want notes.

John Orrock is great! He has the most bubbly personality and his excitement for biology shines through with every lecture! He tends to zoom in on more important concepts rather than go through all the topics from the book so make sure to read, but overall I learned a lot from him and he really wants his students to succeed. Would recommend.

He's probably one of my favorite professors. Ecology really isn't my thing, but the lectures were very entertaining and he makes a lot of examples on the fly, which is great. He also writes a lot of notes on the board, so attendance is necessary if you want to pass. He's a great guy and he knows his stuff.

Dr. Orrock does his best to make his lectures engaging. He knows his material well and throws in a lot of humorous examples to keep you interested and to help you remember what's going on. He writes his notes on the board, which is really helpful, but that means you also need to show up. Overall, he's a great guy and I look forward to his lectures!

Professor Orrock is very enthusiastic and gives great lectures. He writes all of his notes out on the board so there aren't any online notes, so obviously you can't miss lectures. He was able to break down hard subject with funnyuseful anecdotes. The passion he had for what he was teaching made me enjoy the class more.

Orrock is one of the best lecturers. He's abolutely hilarious and I often found myself laughing out loud in class at his jokes. Content isn't all that interesting, but his lectures are entertaining and the class is easy. No text book, maybe 5-10 minutes of hw a week. Go to lecturer though because he takes notes on the board. Easy class, easy A.

Orrock is a great professor and a funny guy. It is incredibly important to show up and take good notes, because he takes notes on the board and the powerpoints he posts online are mainly just pictures. There is no textbook and the only homework is to read a short article every week and post a response. Pay attention and you will do well.

Dr. Orrock is easily one of the best lecturers I've had at UW. He makes ridiculous 90s nostalgia jokes and really lets his personality show through. He also does notes by hand which I respected. This also meant that you need to take notes as his PP contains little info. You also need to scour the text as he pulls the most particular bits for exams.

Dr. Orrock was my favorite professor of the three. He always had great examples and made sure that people understood the material he was getting across. I would take the class again just for him.

He actually does his notes by hand! Very clear in explaining the material and let's you know what's important. His lectures are engaging and makes you want to learn the material. Isn't big on detail, but wants you learn the main concept.

An absolute gem of a class required to fulfill the C/D requirement of the biology major. Easy class, phenomenal professor!

An absolute gem of a class required to fulfill the C/D requirement of the biology major. 3 midterms, 1 drops; 1 final. Have to read on1 3 page paper/week. Thats it! Easy class, phenomenal professor!

I really enjoyed his lectures and did the best on his exam out of the 3 lecturers.

He was the best professor I've had so far. He always tried to make his lectures interesting and used great examples to clarify. Very entertaining and very helpful, learned a lot- made lecture worth waking up for.

We had three professors for this class and he was easily my favorite. He had great humor and he was confident in what he taught.

He had a great sense of humor and seems really passionate about what he teaches. He is clear about what he teaches and is interesting to listen to. His information for the exam can come from the lecture slides or the powerpoint, so you have to read the textbook.

Orrock is one of the best professors I've had at Madison. He is very charismatic and passionate about what he teaches and connects well to the class. I was in a power lecture and they didn't seem bad. His exams are not bad and homework is easy. Definitely would recommend his class to someone mildly interested in this field!

Dr. O was great, especially for those trying to get their feet wet in an introductory class. Very charismatic and funny and he clearly loves what he does (which is more than can be said for many). He communicated the information in a clear creative way so that you could remember it. By far the best lecturer in this class.

Great sense of humor and understands that students are as excited as he is. Must say study his examples, those will come up on his exams! By far my favorite of the three lecturers.

Generally, lectures were boring outside of a few hilarious jokes he made. He's a great guy and nerdy in the best way. I didn't really take the final seriously because i thought evolution/ecology was so obvious but it was harder than I thought it would be. Least favorite of the three who taught bio.

He is a nice person. You can tell he's into what he does. His lectures can be really boring though as well as his slides that are most of the time blank, which he then writes the answers on the board which is time consuming and annoying if you want to look at slides online later. Pretty easy, just be sure to take good notes & stay awake.

He's a cute nerd. Makes nerdy jokes and teaches Ecology and Evolution, pretty boring stuff but he makes in interesting.

Seriously, this guy's fantastic. He always uses ridiculous examples on-the-fly, but they're hysterical. Laughed out loud in class daily AND still learned a ton. Information is easy to understand and very interesting. Wish he taught more than 3 weeks of the class. Looked forward to his lectures and would often be upset when the 50 minutes were up.

Orrock is a pretty good instructor. His lectures were interesting, but required very active note taking. He answers student questions very well and makes the concepts more easy to relate to. His exam was a fair assessment as well.

John Orrock is the Man! he has the most interesting lectures and makes you want to attend class. he makes the subject matter very interesting and is always cracking a joke.

He didn't include much information on his slides so you must take really good notes to do well, but for the most part he clearly explained all the topics.