Allen Laughon - University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI

Professor: Allen Laughon

Department: Genetics

College: University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: GEN466
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Slides are unorganized and information is scattered

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: GEN133
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

This class is meant to be a blowoff biological sciences class. It is what it is. The class is relatively simple/boring, but it is definitely an easy A, just show up. Weekly quizzes with one test at the end. He is one of 3 professors, and arguably the second best of the three. Not very exciting, but you do learn a bit about current issues.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: GENETICS466
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

His lectures can go a bit fast, and he tends to go on tangents that can be really interesting but are usually not relevant to the exam material. He posts audio recordings of the lectures and the slides, but it's way more helpful to just go to class.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: GENETIC466
• 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:

He was very helpful for me. I haven't historically good at genetics, so after I was abused by the first test, I made it a priority to go talk to him before each test during office hours. He was very helpful during that time, answered my questions, and went over entire class lessons that I was foggy about. and my grade made a good recovery. (AB)

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: GEN466
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

People hate on Laughon a lot, but compared to Engels, he was an angel. I'll admit, he goes off on tangents and lecture can get confusing, but his exams are EXTREMELY fair. He gives you practice exams that are almost exactly the same as the actual exams, so if you study properly they're not bad. Textbook is very helpful. Overall, I liked him.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: GEN466
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

I don't know why people complain so much about him, I really liked him. He was very straight forward during his lectures and I actually thought he went really slowly at times. I got an AB on his exam and didn't really study for it, but I think if I had done some of the more complicated homework question it would have been an A.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: GENETICS466
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I don't know why everyone hates on Laughon as a professor for this class. 466 seems to set you up for failure, especially if you have Engels as your other prof but Laughon really seems to want to be there and teach you the material. His exams accurately reflected what was taught in lecture/ what was on the practice exam. If you study you'll get it.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: GEN466
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He wasn't great, but wasn't terrible either. DO textbook readings they will really help you prepare for the exam. Make sure if he posts practice exams to understand everything on it. Exams are difficult but fair; Averages were around a 70% on his exams compared to 50% averages with Professor Engels.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: GEN466
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Anyone who needs to take this class knows 466 will be difficult no matter what, but he's definitely a difficult prof. He also seems a little scatter-brained while presenting. He presents a slide but rambles, making it difficult to take notes or to glean anything from the slides themselves. He was, at least, willing to answer questions after class.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: 466
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I'll start by saying I finished my Junior year at Madison with a 3.9 GPA. This class was indescribably hard, frustrating, and made me feel as though I was the most unequipped student there is. Even with TA's help I still felt behind and lost. I finished with a C. I don't blame this on my own ill sense but instead on this "educator's." Worst class.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: GENETICS466
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

In the immortal words of Keyshawn Johsnon, "C'mon Man!" I came in expecting 466 to be an extremely hard class, but this guy takes it to another level. You better spend at least 6 hours per lecture if you even want to sniff an A. He does more molecular biology on one test than an entire semester's worth of that type of material. Nice guy, bad Prof.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: GEN466
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Not a very interesting lecturer and sometimes mumbles. His lectures and slides are also all over the place, especially during the first part of genetics. But since they do put lecture videos up, it's not as bad and more comprehensible.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: GEN466
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

His tests are so unrelated to what he says in class. He mumbles and his slides contain no information besides pictures. You for sure will not be able to pay attention in class. Overall, this class blows in general, they curve it to a low BCC. I am a premed student who has never got lower than a B and I am getting a BC or C. Worst class I've taken

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: GEN466
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

A nice guy but lectures are very unorganized. His slides are all pictures and he jumps all over the place, assuming we have background on all the topics. He says things like "this is a tough concept so I won't explain it, you'll have to go home and learn it." Outrageous amount of in-depth details we're expected to know. Avoid taking his section.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: GENETICS466
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Lectures are disorienting. I've never used this site but feel compelled to warn students to avoid this guy. I really hoped to master this subject matter too....

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: GEN466
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

He's a really nice guy, but he just rambles on about the material. It's really hard to pay attention to the lectures. The main problem is that the lecture slides are everywhere. The topics he covers aren't coherent and spread out into different lectures in different orders.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: GEN466
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Seems like a nice guy, but this class was such a struggle. I'm a pre-med student that usually gets ABs or above and got a low B in this class. The amount of information you need to know for exams is ridiculous. TAs were helpful, but even they struggled with the material. Unless you have to take this class for your major, don't do it.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: GEN466
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

A slide with a picture comes up and he just sits there on it for 5 minutes and talks about everything he knows. No pattern or organization.. not realizing that he needs to present some things before others... teaching by example before we even understand the principle of what he is talking about. He really destroys a very interesting subject.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: GEN466
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Laughon should not be allowed to teach this class. If there is anyway students could take action and remove him from teaching GEN466 I would do so and never feel more passionate about it. Lecture will most certainly confuse you more than help you.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: 466
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

One of the worst profs I have ever had & for a course that I need/want to know well for my future. He doesn't speak in full/coherent sentences and mumbles. Every lecture is extremely dense, slides are mostly pictures with no detail. This course is extremely important to all of bio and he should not be allowed to teach it in any way. Avoid him