Paul Romaniuk - University of Victoria, Victoria, BC

Professor: Paul Romaniuk

Department: Biochemistry

College: University of Victoria, Victoria, BC

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: BIOC300B
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I had heard lots of horror stories about Romaniuk but none of them proved to be true. This year he has opted for a different grading scheme (5 group assignments @ 10% each, 1 20% midterm and 2 15% quizzes) and he has been REALLY clear on what he expects for exams. He is a very fair marker and a great lecturer (funny!)

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: BIOC300B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Paul is a really nice guy! He tries to help everyone understand the material fully and gives solid notes.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: BIOC300B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

BIOC 300B is a difficult course. Paul does a pretty decent job in teaching the course but can sometimes be confusing. Overall, he's a good prof but you will need to go over the material in the textbook.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: BIOC300B
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

The course material and midterm were hard but he was a fair and fast marker. I would recommend everyone to read the textbook before going to lecture or else you will be very lost.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: BIOC300B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I have never felt so stressed out when writing an exam. Paul's questions are generally related to the textbook but somehow he makes them 10X harder. Don't bother going to class, you'll have to teach yourself everything out of the textbook.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: BIOC300B
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Paul is not that bad. Everyone has Boulanger before Paul, so it's a comparison unfavorable to Paul. I understand his objective to test critical thinking, because it's practical. However, although the majority of his make-up exam was reasonable, there were a few questions, weighted heavily, that felt to be borderline outside of the course material.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: BIOC300B
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Paul is actually a wonderful professor. Yes, the material is hard and the course requires a lot of effort and hard work but Paul is more than willing to go out of his way to ensure that students who work hard and put in the time and effort are rewarded. He was so generous in marking the midterm and is a very kind man.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: BIOC300B
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Wow! Paul was an excellent instructor, making sure that every class was involved and laying out expectations clearly. In office hours he was kind and encouraged students to think critically. His test was a blast to write, and involved problem solving/ conceptual questions - the exam was marked leniently, and returned in an incredibly short time.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: BIOC300B
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Paul made it very clear from the beginning of the course that the readings would be key to success. During the lectures, it was expected that you had already done the readings and you were there to ask specific questions. Paul did a great job of trying to encourage the class to discuss ideas, and he was receptive to everyone's ideas.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: BIOC300B
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Biochem 300B is a difficult course and by third year of a Micro/Bioc major the expectation is that a student should be able to solve theoretical experiment-related questions. Paul does a great job encouraging class discussion and involvement. Lectures are clear. The midterm will be very difficult for casuals and last minute crammers.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: BIOC300B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

His lectures are a very brief outline and you will end up relying 100% on the textbook. Romaniuk is not willing to help students at all outside of class time and is condescending in office hours. Midterms are mostly based on theoretical questions and oddly specific details about a few select topics. If you can, avoid him at all costs.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: BIOC300B
• 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:

Honestly, Dr. Romaniuk wasn't all that bad. His notes were fairly scarce, but his lectures were useful at times. Reading the textbook is essential to doing well. His tests seem to be getting shorter by the looks of it, and most of the questions were fair. Overall, not the greatest prof, but he does seem to be improving.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: BIOC300B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

By far the worst professor Ive had at university so far. His tests are so difficult and way too long. He's a terrible teacher so be prepared to teach yourself all the material from the textbook. He assumes you have extensive biochem knowledge, so if you're not a biochem major, you have to do a lot of extra work to catch up.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: BIOC300B
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

A+ in BIOC300A and got a C in his first test in 300B. 10% of the exam consists of material from lecture/ textbook. The rest is theoretical assumptions of what you "think" would happen in a given situation. I got good vibes from him in lecture/ office hours. Not sure why any professor would want a class average in the high 50's.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: BIOC300B
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

One of the worst profs ive ever had. Hes condecending in office hours. Has horrible lecture pacing, often missing 5 slides at the end, and assigning extra reading. What student has time for extra reading! His test are not doable in the 50 minutes assigned. Text book is the only way you will pass. Borastan and Lum after him are really good though :)

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: BIOC300B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

People are hard on the guy because he does give tests that are decently long. The questions themselves are not too difficult, but do take some time. I would say this prof is great and I would love to have him again for Biochemistry 300B. Seems like he genuinely likes biochemistry and teaching.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: BIOC300B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Romaniuk is the worst professor I've ever had. He's obnoxious and acts like you're an idiot during office hours. His tests are way too long and have very little relation to the lecture/textbook. It's not uncommon for A+ students to barely pass his midterms..this is a clear indication of a bad professor.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: BIOC300B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Essentially the worst prof at Uvic that you could possibly get. Won't go over your test with you; tests aren't doable in the allotted time; harsh marking.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: BIOC300
• 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:

Refuses to address any concerns about his marking and is not very kind about it either

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: BIOC300B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Did not make an effort to review exams with students. Could not answer student questions in class. Lectures were not well organized by topic. Pretty disappointing given the interesting course material.