Tobias Baskin - University of Massachusetts - Amherst

Professor: Tobias Baskin

Department: Biology

College: University of Massachusetts - Amherst

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: BIO510
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Fun

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: BIO510
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Good professor, but the exams are tough. They are open note and open book, but it's so long and you have such a short amount of time only one person is ever able to finish in the amount of time allotted. The lectures are very informative so I'd suggest going, although that's only half of the exam, the other half's small details from the text.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: BIO510
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

His exams are long and time consuming but he only gives the 50 minute class time to do it. Open note exams but too long to ever finish it and there are 5 or 6 of them. Long paper at the end of the semester on a group presentation. Overall, I did not like this class or his teaching style.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: BIO510
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Tobias is a great professor that cares about his students. He can be sassy sometimes, but is very intelligent and responsive to students' concerns. Go to lecture, read the book, and you will do fine. Open booknote exams, a few group presentations (easy), nothing too bad. Put reasonable effort in and you will be ok, despite some dense material

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: BIO477H
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

OK.. this guy is arrogant, and will not admit he is ever wrong. But you just have to know hot to work with him. Just do what he says, if you don't he'll knock you for it. It was a great class, I got good grades because I was careful and put in effort... do the same and you have a mutually beneficial relationship with this very intelligent guy

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: BIO497B
• 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:

Absolutely terrible professor. He is condescending, unhelpful and passive aggressive. I don't know why he is teaching at all because he makes every indication that he hates it.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: BIO497B
• 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:

Horrible professor for lab class and expects way too much for a 3 credit. Great class but he sucks as a professor.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: BIO510
• 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:

He's the man. Very passionate about teaching, very clear, and very nice. I don't see why people are complaining about him. I guess intro bio is not his forte? I was dreading taking him b/c of the intro ratings, but to my surprise he was awesome! 4 essays you can re-do after optional presentations and 2 really easy essay exams. But go to class!!

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: BIO105
• 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:

During his class, i thought he was extremely boring, but i didnt think the material was that hard until i took the exam; Half of the questions were duck questions, (which probably saved my grade), the other half felt like the SAT; he had ridiculous analogies, and some of the questions were impossible; i thought i was done with the SATs!!!! =0

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: BIO105
• 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:

Aaahh! I didn't hate this guy until I took his exam. Boring lecturer, but its BIO. I wasn't expecting miracles. But his exam was literally formatted like the SAT's! We're in COLLEGE. So ridiculous. Hope he stops teaching bio 105 soon.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: BIO105
• 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:

He was one part of a Biology class, and by far the worst of the three teachers. He was incredibly condescending, his test was unnecessarily hard, and he was generally boring and obnoxious. The other two teachers for the class were fine, but he was really bad. Almost made the class not worth it.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: BIO105
• 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:

He's definitely not as bad as the reviews say. I didn't go to a single one of his lectures and did the online readings and managed a B+ on his exam. You automatically start off with a 50 if you study all the review questions.. there were a couple of tricky analogies on the exam, however. Giving a 1 for difficulty is a little outlandish.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: BIO105
• 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:

Absolutely the worst "professor" I've had yet. Condescending with no good reason to be - his lectures are all over the place, boring, and the required reading basically consists of the lectures typed up...with numerous spelling errors and bad jokes. The test was ridiculous and asked about things we hadn't even learned. Avoid this guy at all costs.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: BIO105
• 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:

No Comments

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: BIOA
• 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:

He is possibly the worst teacher EVER. He simplifies the lectures like you're a child, but then his exams are ridiculously hard. He uses too many analogies that don't even make sense, and the readings are written by himself. He makes you forget that this class is for non-science majors. Avoid this man at all costs!!

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: BIO510
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Puts on the appearance of being a nice a fair guy, but he's really, really a horrible professor. I dreaded taking a plant class in itself, and he only made it worse. Your grade in the class kind of depends on whether he likes you or not, and he sees pretty much everybody in the class as inferior to him. Go back to playing with you cell walls Baskin

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: BIO105
• 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:

The test just got harder.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: BIO510
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He is the WORST prof/human being I have ever had to deal with. He is rude, unhelpful, and boring. No one ever goes to class and the people who do attend, fall asleep. He made me hate plants and never wanna take a plant class again.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: BIO105
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Honestly, he was an awful lecturer, his online readings were where the entire exam was based from, yet these readings were just his personal lecture notes which he read verbatum. the other two professors were great, but be prepared for this guy, he's the worst find I've had yet on campus.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: BIO105
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

worst professor encountered at umass as of yet. treats students like children and treated a non-major science course like it was everyone's personal interest in the subject. One word: horrible