Michael Kinnison - University of Maine, Orono, ME

Professor: Michael Kinnison

Department: Biology

College: University of Maine, Orono, ME

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: BIO329
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He reads off of his prepared notes and slides the whole time. The notes are not posted so it's important you go to class. He doesn't mind going over the time so don't put a class right after this one. He gives you word banks that have 300-500 words, giving you the opportunity to study all the wrong things and fail, even if you studied for hours.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: BIO329
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

The notes that you take are literally just the terms that he projects onto the board, so nothing is conceptual. If you are unable to memorize 300 vocab words per quiz and exam, this is not the class for you. Your whole grade is based off of 2 quizzes and 2 exams, which is terrible. Just be prepared to have to memorize everything, yet learn nothing.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: BIO329
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I took Vert Bio as a freshman and really enjoyed it. Although the course is extremely lecture and test heavy he's really knowledgeable and passionate about what hes teaching and it translates into his lectures. Tests are essentially an assessment of vocab. would recommend making flashcards or a quizlet and just run through it until you've got it.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: BIO329
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Overall he is a nice person, but his class is run very poorly. Is completely about memorizing vocab terms. Since he covers the terms so fast we never really were able to learn it well. Expect to memorize about 500 terms per test and DO NOT BUY THE TEXTBOOK!!!! You will never need it and is a waste of money. 3 tests and quizzes total. Have fun!!

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: BIO329
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Kinnison is so awesome! His lectures are very organized and he tries to make it as fun as possible with his students. But be warned: all the exams and quizzes are done vocabulary style so if you aren't good at memorizing vocab you likely won't do well in this class. Once you get a good study technique down, however, it's easy as pie!

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: BIO329
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Love this class. The lectures are very organised.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: BIO329
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He is helpful and understanding if you ask for help. The lectures are dry, and can be hard to stay awake in if you are not interested in the material. The tests are all about memorizing terms; this is a difficult class. Don't buy the textbook, it is only used for the glossary.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: BIO359
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Don't buy the book he doesn't use it. Its just good for the glossary but you can use goggle to look up word defs. if you need extra clarity. Very concerned about how everyone is doing in class and gives lots of quizzes and tests. Know every single term he gives you like the back of your hand and you'll do well.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: BIO329
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Great instructor, class was a interesting, but very term heavy. Don't buy the textbook unless you are just interested, his lecture provide you everything you need get an A in the class.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: BIO329
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Very well presented, the course can be challenging due to amount of time spent on memorization. Overall a very good teacher though.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: BIO329
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Kinnison is an awesome professor, but the class can be tedious due to all the vocabulary. The book is useless as he doesn't teach from it. Overall a very interesting animal class

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: BIO329
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Interesting class and an easy A if you go to class and take notes. Great guy. Had fun in this class and learned alot. By the way, no need to by the book unless you have extra time and want to go more indepth, will not effect grade though.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: BIO329
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Amazing class. I really enjoyed having him as a professor. I took this "junior" level class as a first year and thanks to his concern for my progress I did an ok job. If he had been as hands off as some professors I'm pretty sure I would've failed. He tries his hardest to make the lectures interesting by acting things out or relating them to food

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: BIO329
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Very smart, nice and very helpful professor. I would take a class with him again. Vert Bio is a good class, but keep on top of things if you want a good grade in the class!

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: BIO329
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Wonderful professor, great class. Learned a lot and he really cares whether or not you get it. There is a lot of emorizing the scientific names of different species, but that's to be expected. The lab however is POINTLESS. I suggset taking the class with out it, you'll be happier.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: BIO329
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

VERY intelligent. Good teacher. Makes things interesting (points to ponder!). A lot to know and learn but a good class He also seems like a very nice guy

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: BIO329
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

This guy does teach a lot of material, but he makes it interesting (like a nature show). If you can't handle some Latin names then this might not be for you. Then again, you probably shouldn't be in an advanced biology class. I liked his use of pictures and outlines (he provides them). His jokes are corny, but at least he tries.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: BIO319
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

No Comments

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: BIO329
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

This prof is really good. He covers a ton of material, but it is organized and interesting. I don't know where the "only talks about fish" comment comes from. I had this prof for the same class and semester and fish were only a few lectures.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: BIO329
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Nice guy, but he sucks at teaching. I thought this class was going to be about all vertebrates...not just fish. If you're into fish, you'll love it, otherwise you'll loathe every minute you sit in class