Don MacRae - Camosun College, Victoria, BC

Professor: Don MacRae

Department: Biology

College: Camosun College, Victoria, BC

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: BIOL126
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Don is a really fabulous person. He is sweet and genuinely cares about each one of his students. I hate to say this about him because he is just so kind, but his lectures are very boring and difficult to concentrate on. Labs with him were great because he would often do the whole lab prior to showing us, so they were easy, but had long intros.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: BIO104
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Don is a great prof, for BIO104 the class is super easy to pass. He is super funny, though sometimes he can get distracted in lecture, it is always a pleasure to listen to his little personal stories. Great prof, especially for first year!

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: BIO103
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Don is great. It is up to you as a student to pay attention. He will teach the material whether you are sitting at the back talking or whether you are invested in the material. As someone who was invested, I found his lectures entertaining and thoughtful. He is engaged as a teacher and a person and I would recommend any of his classes!

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: BIO103
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Don is an excellent first-year professor to have. Both his lectures and sense of humour are quite dry. I found his class to be a great GPA booster; all you really need to do to get an A is study the online quizzes and show up for labs. Don is a very generous marker and will give you plenty of opportunity for extra credit.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: BIO103
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Very nice teacher. I had the best experience with his class, especially the labs. He is very helpful and he really makes the labs enjoyable. He is also generous with marking. He gave us a chance to get bonus marks on the final exam. The quizzes are straightforward and the exams are quite easy. I highly recommend him. I rate him 5 stars.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: BIO124
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Don is an excellent professor. He is consistently able to to take complex concepts and convey them in ways that are easy to grasp. He fosters a strong fundamental understanding of biology and guides students to apply that knowledge. Don is endlessly patient and will always make time for his students.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: BIO103
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Don is an extremely easy marker. Do the homework and get an A, basically. Easy labs, lots of opportunity for extra credit, easy tests. Extremely dry lectures, though!

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: BIO124
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

His Bio 124 class was awesome! Very clear with what would be on the tests and had good activities to help remember all the information required for tests. If you ask him what to study and put in a little work theres no way to fail this class. On top of that if you're in to low key humour his lectures can be hilarious.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: BIO103
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Don is an amazing prof! He makes biology make sense. He is very funny and doesn't try to make things unnecessarily difficult for students. You come out with a great understanding of biology and even maybe a bit of confidence to try another bio class. Highly recommend. You will not be disappointed. Textbook optional. I found reading it helpful.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: BIO103
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Don was the most wonderful first-year teacher I could have ever asked for. He genuinely wants you to pass and gives you all the necessary tools to do so. His lectures are always filled with informative videos, and he always has a funny story to keep things interesting. He gives plenty of opportunities to re-do quizzes and is great about absences.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: BIO103
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

His classes are great. Lectures are a bit heavy on information but they're really good for d2l quizzes. Labs are fun and easy too do

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: BIO103
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Very organized! Clear expectations. Sometimes portrays that there is not a hard and fast answer, nit because he doesn't know the answer, but likely because he wants students to think for themselves, and, not be intimidated by biology! I think it works! He is hilarious, and I look forward to his class!

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: BIO103
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Wow, only a few weeks in with Don, but love him already! Took the class because of the amazing reviews and I see that they are very true! He is hilarious, very fair, clear in his expectations, and makes biology interesting! I had no interest in biology before, but I will definitely be taking more bio class! He makes biology seem attainable for all.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: BIO124
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Don is the best bio prof hands down. Easiest A+ you will get. Super caring and loves what he does. He truly wants you to do well and succeed.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: BIO103
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Super friendly and caring. My favourite bio teacher by far. Taking bio 124 because he will be the teacher.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: BIO103
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Had him for Biol 103 and he was very helpful. Started off a little unorganized, telling us information then retracting it and stating we didn't need it. After one week everything went smoothly. His tests aren't hard or easy marked. Just right or wrong. Offered bonus marks occasionally for participating. Engaged students in conversation on topics.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: BIO103
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

The best Bio teacher by far. Super caring and truly wants everyone to succeed. Do the homework and study, it's an easy A

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: BIO103
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Great teacher, actually knows what he's talking about. Gives students clear criteria of what you actually need to know, no filler and no useless info. He's willing to work with multiple learning styles. He's also unintentionally really funny. I would take a class with Don again.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: BIO103
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Lectures can get a bit ramble-y, but he always engages in helpful and funny discussion with students. Gives handouts clearly indicating what will be on the test, and doesn't pop surprise assignments on students. Very helpful when asked for clarity as well!

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: BIO103
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

His teaching skills were perfect for me because he gave really low level examples of the science and showed a lot of videos. However, that is not for everyone as he used words like "thingy, blobby/spikey thingy" a lot hahah. He gives everyone second chances on any of the assignments you do which really helps. Very funny and easy to get along with.