Charles Riley Nelson - Brigham Young University, Provo, UT

Professor: Charles Riley Nelson

Department: Biology

College: Brigham Young University, Provo, UT

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: BIO100
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I cannot stress this enoughcome to lectures and pay attention!! The exams only cover material covered in lecture. Take notes on everything, especially the seemingly random stuff and youll be fine! There are 2 major papers which are worth a good portion of your grade but go to the TA labs, it will help you and your grade! Fairly easy-A class :)

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: BIO100
• 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:

Professor Nelson is amazing. He really cares about his students and biology. His lectures are entertaining but meaningful. Tests are based on lecture so go to class. There also are two big papers which arent too bad if you start early and talk to the TAs.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: BIO100
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I really enjoyed Professor Nelson's class in the end. I walked into his class thinking it would suck but the reading wasn't bad at all, the tests were good if you studied. Sometimes the lectures would be confusing but the TAs were always willing to help outside of class. I would recommend Professor Nelson highly!!

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: BIO100
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He is a very unconventional teacher but you learn to love him for it. It's not your typical Biology class in regards to content. Tests are very easy as long as you pay attention to lectures. There are two big research papers-DON'T PROCRASTINATE THEM (especially the nature experience)or your grade will suffer. Overall a great class-I learned a lot.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: BIO100
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Riley Nelson is one of the funniest professors I've had. He sincerely cares for his students and their success in his class. Tests are a breeze but only if you've attended lectures. Be prepared for lectures that literally have no seeming correlation to anything but it keeps you entertained, especially since they are all over the place.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: BIO100
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I cannot say enough about Nelson. He truly cares about his students and wants you to learn. The class is not hard as long as you take notes and go to class. Nelson is funny, spiritual, merciful, and makes Biology fun. I loved every class. Take it from Nelson.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: BIO100
• 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:

Dr. Nelson is the best. If you're not into science, take it from him!! He makes lectures entertaining. Tests are way easy if you go to class and take notes. You write 2 papers. I enjoyed this class and I hate science...

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: BIO100
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

In this class, I didn't learn too much. Tests were easy to pass without studying. The main reasons why I went to his class was for credit and to laugh my head off. He made a student lick a beetle on the first day of class. He is odd, but he is fun.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: BIO100
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Nelson is a great person, but not a great teacher. He was not organized in his lectures, most of us had no idea what to expect on the tests (though they are easy), and homework seemed worthless. He is very funny, but sometimes immature and inappropriate to be honest. I only needed the $130 textbook for the online class code, otherwise useless.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: BIO100
• 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:

Dr. Nelson is hilarious and fun, as well as a good teacher. He really cares about the world, his students, and the gospel of Jesus Christ and ties all of that together in his class. In order to show that he had a sense of wonder still, he asked us what we thought the wall tasted like, then licked it. Apparently it is sweet ;) I loved his class

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: BIO100
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Nelson is seriously one of the best professors I've ever had. He does the most random things. He cares about his students. He also cares a ton about biodiversity and the earth and he talks a lot about being good stewards. Grades are based mostly off two papers and a few tests.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: BIO100
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Nelson teaches in a non-linear way. He isn't the type to paste bullet points on the board or make you memorize your entire biology textbook. His whole aim is to increase your "sense of wonder" and get you interested in nature and how things work. But take notes on everything he says--tests are based on lecture and anything he says is fair game.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: BIO100
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

He's a nice guy and entertaining enough in his lectures, but he does not tend to ever let you know what he expects and expects you to know what he expects. It's as confusing as it sounds. Lots and lots of papers on stuff you've never done, treats the general course like you're trying to major in it. Overall, confusing but good guy.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: BIO100
• 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:

Professor Nelson is the best. if bio is not your thing take it form him. the class has nothing to do with bio it was so much fun and he is so funny and he knows that you are taking this class cuz its a GE so he makes it fun

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: BIO100
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Professor Nelson is literally the greatest professor I've had so far. Biology is definitely not my thing, and he made the class easy. The two papers you really need to do them early so that you don't get to the end and procrastinate, they take some time but are fairly easy. His tests are really easy all based off of what he says in lecture.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: BIO100
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Nelson is awesome. He is so fun and has a great personality. I was told to take this class if science wasn't my thing, which was great! However, he does get off on tangents a lot. The grade is based off of the two papers, two midterms, and the final. So if you prefer a lot of small grades to help ease test and paper scores, this isn't the class.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: BIO100
• 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:

There is no other prof like Riley on campus and I mean that. One day when we were talking about flied he dressed up as a fly and I've never laughed harder in my life. Tests are pretty straight forward, go to the TA review sessions!!!! Make study groups with people in class and the papers are a lot of work but not hard to write.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: BIO100
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Riley is the coolest. Classic nutty science professor with wild white hair and mustache, his lectures will keep you entertained and his views on life in general are way on point. I'd even say this was a life-changing class, and it was just a GE that I was trying to get out of the way. I laughed my way through every test. He helped me enjoy biology.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: BIO100
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Graded mostly by out-of-class projects. If you skip lecture, you will NOT pass tests. Readings mostly useless unless he refers to them in his lectures. If you need clear criteria and straightforward lectures, this isn't the class for you. Entertaining and interactive but not organized. I'm not a science person and this class worked well for me.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: BIO220
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Class makes no sense. He says every class "this will be on the test, make sure you know it". When you take the test, it will be nothing that he said to know. All over the place. Hardest teacher I have ever had because his tests are super random and the mentality of "tell me exactly what am I thinking based of something I didn't tell. Very nice man.