Overall, this class was very easy. The course grade was comprised of 5 exams (60%), online weekly quizzes (8%), short online assignments (7%) and the laboratory (25%). The lab was comprised of four lab practicals (two small [5%], two long [10%]), lab exit tickets (5%) and post-lab quizzes (5%).

The lectures were helpful in this course, but went at a slower pace than was necessary. At the beginning of the semester, a decent portion of the material covered in lecture was review from previous biology classes I have taken. We used Top Hat during class which was fairly helpful in understanding the depth of knowledge that was expected of us and how questions on the exam might have been formatted. Top Hat was not worth purchasing for this course, however. I mostly answered these questions in my head or in my notebook. Prof. Massey posed open-ended questions to the class which encouraged participation. She also allowed students to ask questions during lecture and make announcements at the beginning of class if they wished. Prof. Massey was always very kind and enjoyed interacting with students, which I appreciate. The exams in this course were too easy, and may not have effectively assessed students' understanding of the material.

Unfortunately, the laboratory section of this class was not conducive to learning which was frustrating. In almost all of our labs, we worked through an online document that was best completed through a lot of copying and pasting from the online textbook or through searching for images online. Periodically, we were given lab practicals on the material, which we had to know very in-depth. It would have been more helpful to me to spend 30 minutes a week studying what we would be tested on rather than doing lab assignments. I think the laboratory section needs to be restructured. At the moment, it does not serve its purpose effectively. TA demonstrations, discussions led by the TA, dissections, and hands-on activities would aid learning and understanding better.