R. Paul Evans - Brigham Young University, Provo, UT

Professor: R. Paul Evans

Department: Biology

College: Brigham Young University, Provo, UT

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: MMBIO240
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Honestly Dr. Evans is one of the best at BYU. Study the study guides and you're guaranteed a good grade. Take detailed notes on lectures and talk to him or his TA's, they are all awesome! Also one of the funniest professors I've ever had. Work hard, the subject is difficult regardless who you take it from, but Dr. E is by far the best choice!

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: MMBIO240
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Professor Evans was super funny but I strongly disliked this class. I studied the study guides religiously because that is what his tests were primarily based on but because of that I feel like I truly learned nothing. There was so much material and I took this class in spring which made the work load almost unmanageable.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: MMBIO240
• 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:

Evans is by far the worst professor I've ever had. Class is worthless, but you have to go for the iClicker quizzes. What he "teaches" barely coincides with what is on the study guides/tests. Be prepared to teach yourself everything from the 500+ page study guide. I studied over 20 hours a week and barely scraped a B. DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS!!

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: MMBIO240
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Good guy but I really would recommend another teacher. The only reason to go to class is to try and get points on iclicker questions. Didn't learn a thing from lectures and just memorized study guides to do good on tests. Doing that only get you so far, final is pretty hard.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: MMBIO240
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Worst person to take this class from. Does not teach you one thing. Relies on study guides that are 20-30 pages long. These study guides will save your life but they take forever to go through. Tests are hard and have nothing to do with the lectures. I'd consider taking it from someone else!

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: MMBIO240
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Didn't learn anything. Probably because he didn't teach anything.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: MMBIO240
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Poole is a good teacher if you are ready to hit the ground running to learn mmbio. There is no required textbook for the class so it's hard to learn and you are expected to know a lot before class. If you are willing to put in the work to learn, he's great, otherwise, if you don't know anything like me, you will struggle.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: MMBIO240
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Best class to take if you're planning on med school. He's way harder than the other MMBIO professors but it is well worth it if you're willing to put in the work. The amount you learn in his class is incredible, perfect prep for the MCAT and his tests really push you on critical reasoning and concept application. You become an independent learner.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: MMBIO240
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I loved this class with Dr. Evans! He is always super willing to help outside of class. His teaching method is perhaps a bit sporadic, yes, but it's really interesting if you try to listen and follow. The great thing about his teaching style though is that he teaches you to think effectively, not just memorize. Do the study guides though!

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: MMBIO240
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Evan's lectures are rather pointless but he has graded iclicker questions (as in you have to get the right answer for points) every single class. Class really is rather pointless. He gives out study guides and previous tests so study those for the test.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: MMBIO240
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Evans expects you to become an independent learner. He tells you what you need to know on the study guides, and expects you to learn the concepts via Wikipedia, Youtube, and other resources. That skill was more valuable to me than the details of the class. He also does webinars to let you watch from home which was nice.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: MMBIO240
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

STUDY GUIDES ARE THE KEY. The test comes mostly from those EXACT questions. Even if you just remember the right answers, the tests will be a breeze. If you don't study though, you will get HAMMERED on the final. He front-loads/scares you the first week. Textbook isn't necessary, but occasionally helpful. Rent it, or use the ones in the TA lab.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: MMBIO240
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Evans loves to ramble on about pointless things. He rarely explains challenging concepts, and expects you to understand what he is speaking about. Every other student I questioned about his class either said "I have no clue what is going on," or "I hate this class." Would recommend NEVER taking MMBIO 240 from him. EVER.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: MMBIO240
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Going to his lectures was pointless, he rarely taught things we actually needed to know for the test.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: PDBIO360
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Evans is a 10 on the scale of entertainment value, but his lectures certainly feel disconnected from the coursework organization. He has an obviously brilliant mind, and often seems to overcomplicate the material in-lecture. Keys to the game: strong understanding of the central dogma and a lot of reviewing the test study guides. A LOT.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: MMBIO240
• 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 took this last Fall & still have nightmares about it. Science classes are hard simply because the material is hard. But I still, to this day, don't know how Dr. Evans hoped to help us learn with his teaching style. His class is completely based on memorizing all semester and then throws a comprehensive final at you. I learned absolutely nothing.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: MMBIO240
• Grade Received: F
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I had a horrible experience. Worst teacher I had at BYU and worst class I ever took. He is confusing and has weird humor. Hard class.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: MMBIO240
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I like Dr. Evans, I thought he was funny, but he frankly has an abysmal teaching style. Lectures do not make any sense unless you read the textbook beforehand. You will do well in this class if you are good at learning the material yourself, lectures aren't that useful but he gives Iclicker quizzes in class so you will want to be there each day.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: MMBIO240
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Tests are brutal, and he does not guide you very much in telling you what you need to know. He just expects you to know everything.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: PDBIO360
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

This was a tough class but Dr. Evans gives students every opportunity to earn points and do well in the class. He is a bit unorganized at times and his tests are difficult so go to class! If you want to succeed in his class make sure you study all the past tests that he makes available for the students to review.