Mike Harrington - University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB

Professor: Mike Harrington

Department: Science

College: University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: BIO201
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I would recommend Doctor Harrington for BIOL 107, but not so much BIOL 201. His PowerPoints are very vague, and he tests on very detailed concepts, which I found difficult at times. His midterm was quite hard, but the final was quite the opposite. Doctor Harrington can be helpful at answering students' questions on SQUIRE. Going to class is a MUST.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: BIO107
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He makes jokes during every lecture to make students engaged. Clearly knows biology and great choice as a prof. Exams are heavy tho. He uses clicker question in lecture and youll get marks at the end only for your participation. I would still take him again.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: BIOL107
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

While Harrington is pretty funny and a good lecturer, he talks too fast and sometimes refuses to go over concepts that are confusing to the students. I enjoyed his lectures, but once I began studying for the final I realized just how useless his lecture notes were. If you did not write down everything he said that day, the lecture notes are useless

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: BIO107
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

The course itself is really hard. All memorization and to me, it did not connect. Harrington talks really fast and expects a lot. His notes are bare so make sure u go to lectures. Except even when you do he talks really fast. Sometimes comes off as pretentious which does not help. But sometimes funny. Uses 200 level textbook.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: BIO107
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Lectures are engaging, and gives you practice sets that are similar to the midterms. MUST attend lectures because his slides he posts are bare. Clicker questions are easy marks though. Went to his office hours a few times for missed lectures/ clarification. Doesn't really explain concepts in depth unless ask but is actually super nice!

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: BIOL207
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Harrington is an great lecturer. He lacks proper communication with his class about how certain concepts will be tested. His tests are gonna include surprises and it takes time to even understand what he wants from his questions. I had him for bio 107 and he was good, but with higher level bio's I dont find his teaching as effective

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: BIO207
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Mike is a good lecturer and makes things quite intriguing. However, his lecture notes are terrible, and if you miss class, you won't know what is going on at all. His midterms and final are quite tricky (everything is written, so you really have to know your stuff), and the curve for his class is quite high. Overall an okay prof.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: BIOL207
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I might have liked this class if the notes contained any substance to them. He basically gives you nothing to go off so expert notetaking is mandatory. His expertise in the field is amazing, this is offset however by his inability to test material relevant to what is taught in class. Prepare to apply concepts never covered in class.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: GENET305
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Harrington is a good instructor overall. However, the course itself is quite a challenge. there were 3 assignments along with iclickers which were easy, but his midterms & final are hard. Go to class and take notes cuz his slides are not always clear. Also, the midterms have a group component which helped increase grades. Just review regularly.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: BIOL207
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Harrington is a really good prof for Bio 207! Lectures are not too in depth and are quick and interesting, but don't skip class and take good notes! Exams are fair, first midterm was easy and second one was slightly harder, his notes help with some concepts in the lab/assignments. Haven't been to his office hours yet, so can't comment on this.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: BIOL107
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Harrington is amazing! He uses good examples and explains concepts very clearly. His midterm was easy, final was a little challenging, but doable if you studied. His notes do tend to be missing a couple things, but nothing a quick flip through the textbook won't solve. Super nice guy, and funny too.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: BIO107
• 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, I would recommend against taking his class unless you are a very good note taker. He does post powerpoint slides online, however, they are fairly vague and won't help you much in class. For a dry course he makes class decently interesting. From the one experience I had reaching out to him out of class he did seem a bit arrogant and rude

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: BIO107
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Great at engaging the class and has a good sense of humour. The slides contain all of what will be on the exams, but the catch is that he hides some important information behind the iClicker questions. So make sure to attend class and take notes if you want to actually get a high mark (tests are easy, but require deep memorization of slides).

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: BIO107
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

His slides are really vague and really make no sense unless you attend lectures, but even then, the lectures are not heavy which makes you feel like you haven't really learned much. However, because of this, he tends to tests on almost EVERY single small detail which makes exams a bit tricky. Also the lab in this class is a killer so good luck.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: BIO107
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

He's funny but sort of mean too. His lecture slides are useless unless you attend lectures and make notes. He clearly outlines testable materials and doesn't follow the textbook that closely. He likes to test on small details and tends to simplify the course content which in this course was beneficial.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: BIO107
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Love this man! Mike really made class enjoyable. He's a funny guy who loves biology. He posts all his powerpoints online but it is highly recommended to go to class because he adds on to them and draws complicated diagrams on the board. I recommend Mike!!

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: BIO107
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Harrington is a solid choice for a 1st year student. He only tests from his lecture notes, but his note are very condensed. His notes are hard to study from but make sure to do his practice midterm and final as many questions are taken straight from it.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: BIO107
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Mike's lectures were very enjoyable. They were broken up with clicker questions and videos. He always had lectures, diagrams, and questions uploaded online. His expectations for the midterm and final were very clear, making them very easy. He was very approachable and had very good office hours. I would definitely recommend taking his class

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: BIO201
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

You need to go to class otherwise notes wont make sense to you! 5% participation mark with iClickers, doesn't matter if you answer right or not. 4 group assignments worth 7.5% each and they are marked pretty subjectively and can be relatively difficult. If you go see him and ask for help when needed, tests are super easy just memorize the notes

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: BIO107
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Harrington was an amazing prof, really helps to prepare you for later biology courses, instead of just teaching you to memorize what he's lecturing on. His lecture notes have exactly what will be on his exams, and his midterm and final exams were fair.