Thomas Day - Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

Professor: Thomas Day

Department: Biology

College: Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: BIO320
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Day is a nice guy who cares about your grade, but makes you work for it. His questions on test/hw are the most difficult because he wants to trick you. He uses clickers every lecture so pay attention, they are easy points. He curves exam 1 and 2 but not enough to rely on it. The final is cumulative, you will see Q's again from previous exams

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: BIO320
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Nice and extremely knowledgeable instructor. If you are interested in ecology, I suggest taking his course, going to office hours, and talking to him about his work. Lectures use many real world examples of field ecology. Exams can seem specific but are directly related to the material. The one bad thing is that the class uses clickers.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: BIO320
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He's such a nice guy

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: BIO320
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

DO NOT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR!!!! I'm a good student, I study like crazy, get good grades, and ecology should not be a hard class. If you don't want to ruin your GPA, DO NOT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR. Definitely the worst professor I've ever taken. Doesn't want students to succeed. Gives you zero guidance on studying. He makes NO sense when he lectures.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: BIO320
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Lectures aren't very exciting but if you do the reading, homework, come to lecture and note the concepts he focuses on, you'll do well on his EASY exams. The people who don't do well in the class are the lazy ones. If the content is hard for you, you just need to read through his study guide and review the homeworks. It's such an easy class.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: BIO320
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Yes, this guy stares at the ceiling. Who cares? He's clear, loud, and interacts w/ his class. Very straight forward. The people who found this subject difficult to follow should question if college is right for them. Many opportunities for points. TONS of homework that was very easy, but hard to keep up w/. Exams were easy as well.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: BIO320
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Professor Day cannot finish a complete sentence, has a weak sense of direction and lends almost no clarity about what to take away from his lectures. He has a tendency to not give clear or concise answers, and then changes your question into a topic that he seems to be more interested in. He tests heavily on things that he barely mentioned in class

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: BIO320
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Professor Day is one of the most confusing lecturers I have ever taken. I thought this would be a fairly easy upper division biology elective that would be INTERESTING and I was very wrong. He is and is a nice guy but has no business teaching. He studies plants and because of that strong emphasis on plants in his class which I did not like at all.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: BIO320
• 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:

As long as you attend class (clicker questions get you a lot of points!), you'll have a good grasp on the concepts he teaches. There are homework assignments throughout the semester that are short and help prepare you for the tests. I got an A in the class and really enjoyed the class and the professor's passion for the subject.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: BIO320
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I was confused 65% of the time in this class! Never knew the concept of Ecology could be so tough. Honestly, I don't think its the material, its the way that he presents it. His questions are often ambiguousunclear which leads to getting the wrong answer at times. Take this class only if you have to. Attendance is a must if you want to pass!

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: BIO320
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Can't stand still and doesn't look at anyone unless he asks a question. It is really distracting. Not the best at explaining things and his posted slides are unhelpful. Take notes in class and get all the participation/knowledge points you can. This is my major and I struggled with the tests in this class. Wish I took it with different teachers.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: BIO320
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Everything presented to you in the homework and on tests comes directly from lecture. Don't rely on power points online- he doesn't post all of the slides on blackboard. To study for the tests, review homework problems (they are guaranteed to be on the test) and your notes. Go to class and take notes and you'll be golden.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: BIO320
• 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:

Tests can be tough, averages were in the C range a lot, a small curve at the end of the class, no extra credit, get every point you can, especially clicker points, they add up, overall he was pretty good at presenting material, better than Ogle who teaches the class with him

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: BIO320
• 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:

There is no exaggeration, Dr. Day stares at the ceiling all lecture unless looking for someone to answer a question lol There are "knowledge" clicker points which were sometimes difficult, so make sure you understand the article he gives. Lectures slides were simple and contained all needed info to succeed. Online HWs were 10 questions, very simple

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: BIO320
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

He knows a lot about ecology, especially plant ecology. Class is easy, study the ppt and notes from class. Yes, he lectures while staring at the back wall, but he makes up for it with his wealth of knowledge on the subject. I would take him again.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: BIO320
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Professor was very good...really knows his stuff. I took it in the summer and we had 3 exams that were multiple choice and fill in the blank. The tests were fair, just show up to class and take notes. He post slides but has his own slides also, he only tests on what he talks aboutin class. Book was supplemental.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: BIO320
• 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:

Not a good teacher. He jumps all over the place and looks at the ceiling when he's talking. His mannerisms are very distracting and he has a nervous tick and clears his throat every 5 seconds. He doesn't cleary explain the topics and vary rarely can directly answer a question asked in class. Definitely not helpful in office hours.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: BIO320
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Good teacher overall, but his mannerisms are kind of distracting and he never looks at the class while he's teaching so hard to get his attention if you have a question. Go to class! Listen to his lectures.You can go without reading the book. Exams are alright, if you studied his powerpoints and your notes taken during class.Homework is easy points

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: BIO320
• 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:

Dr. Day is a good professor overall, but the other comments about his distracting mannerisms are very true and can make it hard to follow his fragmented lectures at times. I still learned the information fairly easily though, and his tests are not difficult if you study. He is a good teacher and very knowledgeable, but also a bit scatterbrained.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: BIO320
• 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:

Overall decent teacher, he tries to make it interesting and be helpful but he definitely has some distracting ticks. Keeps room half lit which just sets and mood a nap. Talks super fast and jumps all over his slides. Maybe it was just a bad semester for him?? :) **He does have interesting stories and he's very knowlegdable