Kevin Hovel - San Diego State University

Professor: Kevin Hovel

Department: TBD

College: San Diego State University

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: BIOL496
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

This class is not an easy biology elective! The first half of the class is all statistics but the second half gets more into marine biology experimental technique. He does not post notes so you can not miss class. Allot of important information in class isn't on the slides. Easy C hard B even harder A. There is no way to make up a bad test NO EC.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: BIOL315
• 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:

No matter how much he wants it to be complicated material, it's just not. Another example of a teacher making their class harder than it should be by giving trick questions on exams. If you studied and know the material, how does it help the learning process to give trick questions on exams? Different professor = better grade

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: BIO352
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Taught the 1st section. Seems like a nice guy & has moments where he looks Will Ferrel's twin, which is funny in & of itself. Concepts in the lectures are easy to understand but make sure to remember specific case studies for exams. Pop quizzes every few lectures. Got a B in lecture w/o reading then the discussion section grade pulled it to a B+.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: BIOL354
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Not a fan. The material is boring, and even though he attempts humor and passion it is invariably dull. Lectures are easy but tests emphasize pointless facts over useful concepts, making them difficult to do well on. Is often times preachy about conservation ecology. Understands marine biology but has limited understanding of biology otherwise.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: BIOL517
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Hovel is passionate about marine ecology. He is very helpful but he is a hard grader. His lectures aren't dry and he does his best to relate the subject to present day events. Labs involve fun field work. You use the field data to write a manuscript at the end (DON'T PROCRASTINATE). Exams are very straight forward.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: BIO517
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Hovel is a great teacher but he is a hard grader. His lectures are fun and interactive plus the field portion of the class is great hands on experience. He makes sure that everyone is on the same page in labs and helps out anyone that is struggling. The manuscript was a real pain so make sure that you don't wait till the last week to write it!

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: BIOL514
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Hovel is really nice. This class is a combination of Ecology and Biostats. He is a picky grader, but you can always ask him to go over your hw and manuscript b4 hand to fix this. Field trips at the beach!

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: BIOL517
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

This just in: biology is hard! Dr. Hovel is a great professor. He cares about his students and gives you everything you need to succeed. What you do with that is up to you. He is a picky grader, so be concise with homework and exam answers. He is always helpful if you have questions. Don't wait until the last week to write the manuscript!

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: BIO324
• 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:

Tests are ridiculous. expects you to remember everything he ever said AND to memorize the book. goes into too much detail about plankton that no one really cares about. to do well on the final look back on all the exam keys that he posts on blackboard because some question will be on there. Id HIGHLY advise you to take an easier class. Im serious.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: BIO345
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

This class is so boring and pointless. I thought we'd be learning about whales and sharks but we spend half the semester learning about the smallest organisms, ocean char..Don't get me wrong he's a nice guy but I thought "Life in the Sea" would be a fun and easy GE course, but I studied hard and got C's on the test. His pop quizes are even harder.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: BIO215
• 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:

He is very unclear about what will be on the test. His study guides do not help at all. He is very boring and you will think that this is the most pointless class by the end of the semester guaranteed. Take someone else who will make it more enjoyable if possible! Text book is a waste of money too.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: BIO215
• 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:

He looks like Will Farrell, but he's not funny, I don't know why people think that he is maybe they're hoping that looks and humor correlate but i don't think so... Anyways, its hard to know what will be on the test, so I suggest getting help from the TA and doing the book problems because he won't really give you any practice. The concept is easy.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: BIO517
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Very interesting, tests are somewhat easy if you study everything he tells you in class, one of the best teachers I have every had.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: BIOL324
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

This teacher is aawesome. He is really nice and quite funny. His exams were easy and very prompt with grades after each exam. He is passionate about Marine Biology and is very knowledgeable on the subject. He doesn't except late homework at all and no extra credit. Overall class is easy. Take him if you can.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: BIO324
• 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:

If this is for a GE, find an eaier class. He is a great teacher, knows the subject well and teaches it passionately, but his tests are very hard and he doesn't curve the grades at all.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: BIO324
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He might seem nice but the class average on ALL test scores was a 75% and he doesn't grade on a curve! Beware of the tests!

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: BIO324
• 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:

funny guy, goes off topic sometimes, esp thurs afternoons. loves marine bio, gives lots of details, class is difficult for a GE, but go to class, pay attn and take notes. (didn't use book much) study!!! 1st test catches you off guard. doesn't give EC. wants to help, always asks "are there any Qs?" before moving on. interesting stuff.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: BIO324
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Professor Hovel is great, although lectures can be boring sometimes. The class is fairly easy. 4 exams, quizzes, and HW... study for tests as they can catch you off guard. Many of my fellow classmates were surprised with their low test scores. He's also a cutie - as someone mentioned before, he does look a lot like Will Ferrell!

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: BIO517
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Makes statistics both relevant and understandable. Very wide knowledge base. Dynamic instruction and really cool hands on field experiments. You even get to write up your own manuscript based upon YOUR work. Really rewarding class and instructor. Tells you what you need to know, in a way you can comprehend. Grades strictly, but fair. HOT!

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: BIO517
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

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