Stephen Barclay - University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI

Professor: Stephen Barclay

Department: Biology

College: University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: MICRO101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

I'm so saddened to see such negative reviews of Steve. I had him two years ago for micro101, and although the exams were challenging, he was extremely willing to help students understand it. If you go to office hours or the optional discussions, you'll get so much more out of the class.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: MICRO101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Steve is a very loving and gentle professor who cares about his students. It is helpful to go to his office hours. However, even with the above, microbio 101 is an extremely difficult class. You need to memorize and start early. He offers 5 exams but you can only take 4. I recommend taking the first so you're prepared and can "gauge" the class.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: MICRO101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Do not take this course with this professor. He is a very nice person and helpful if you come to office hours, but lectures are useless to go to, exams are hard (will expect you to know the slightest details) and this course surely does not feel like 101 level. It will lower your GPA.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: MICRO101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Not the best professor. He gives you powerpoint slides and lecture summaries, which are useful. Records his lectures so you hardly have to go to class. Tests are pure memorization and applications, which he doesn't teach in class. Not the best at explaining things simply. Don't take if you haven't had bio before.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: MICRO101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

not the greatest teacher i've ever had. lectures are pretty scattered and exams can be tough since he doens't always teach everything on them and there is no textbook. if you don't a signifcant bio background don't take him

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: MICR101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Barclay is a very nice guy and he's helpful in person, but this class is terrible. You get to learn about interesting things, but Barclay makes it about pure memorization and will literally at times show you a list and tell you to memorize everything on it. Cool content, but Barclay just kills it. Luckily, he's a nice guy and will happily help you.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: MICRO101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Lectures dont make any sense. He just rambles on and nothing becomes clear. He clearly doesnt understand that it is a 100 level course because it is assumed that many things are known previous to taking the class. I suggest you take zoology before this class. Or just take another professor!

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: MICRO101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

It is definitely not necessary to go to class. Very hard to pay attention during lecture as he seems to just ramble on. Read the lecture summaries and powerpoint slides, and go over old exam questions and you'll do find on the exams. Not a hard class, but you will need to prepare for the exams.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: MICRO101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Steve is a great guy and the material gets a ton more interesting by the end of the semester. If you go in for office hours he will patiently explain anything you don't understand!! As long as you put in effort he really wants you to succeed. I really enjoyed the class.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: MICRO101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Barclay was a very nice guy but not a very good lecturer, pretty awkward. The exams weren't hard, just tricky. Nothing is really a surprise, but definitely don't buy the book, it's expensive and you won't use it once.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: MICRO101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Barclay is such a nice guy. His lectures are very boring, but he tells you exactly what you need to know. Buy the lecture summaries and lecture slides from Bob's Copy Shop. Everything is directly off of those. Focus on lecture summaries and past exams (they come together). Overall you need to put effort into the class

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: MICRO001
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

hard material not explained well.no curve. nice prof. im a good student, but you seriously wont open the book.its not required

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: MICRO101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He's a very nice guy and you can tell he genuinely cares that students understand the info, but he's just not the most charismatic professor. Definitely go to class and study the lecture outlines, if you can get the old exams from someone, definitely do because most questions are re-used or very similar. Not a bad class overall.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: MICRO101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Barclay was a very fair professor. Although his lectures were drier than toast on Sunday morning, still get at least something lecture. Tests are challenging but similar to past exams (but not the same!). If taken Bio 151/152 this class is fairly easy.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: MICRO101
• 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:

This is def a class you will have to teach most of the material to yourself. Going to lecture is a waste of time if you don't understand the concepts before hand. His teaching style is not conducive to people w/o a previous background in biology. I really wish CALS would find someone else to teach this class.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: MICRO101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Overall, this should not be a 100 level course the way he teaches it and the amount of information you need to know. I like the guy but it's useless to go to lecture b/c u get nothing from it. Also, he found out mid-semester that people were using previous exams to study so he completely changed them. So, don't just rely on old exams anymore!

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: MICRO101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

This is one of the most boring classes i have ever taken. The professor knows his material but donen't have a clue to how present it in a 100 level way. Extremely dull and the grading scale is ridiculous and ruins GPAs. Do not take this class unless you abolutely have to.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: MICRO101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I try really hard to pay attention, but this class is sooo boring! He seems to know what he's talking about, but has no idea how to explain it to students in a 100 level course...this class should definitely be a higher level. Exams are very tricky and more detailed than the practice exams

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: MICRO101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

He's hard to understand at times and seems to be a little absent minded.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: MICRO101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

If you know everything in the lecture summaries, exams are pretty easy. He wasn't the best lecturer, but I still liked him. He obviously really likes microbio and gave interesting extra info. He was also very clear on what would be important on the exams. No final!