MacInsiders Logo

Similar Threads
Review Review Starter Category Comments Last Post
History 3FF3 ardenelva 3rd Year Course Reviews 0 06-07-2010 10:09 AM

Biology 3FF3

 
Biology 3FF3
Evolution
Published by summer
07-30-2008
Published by
summer's Avatar
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 110

Author review
Overall Rating
10%10%10%
1
Professor Rating
10%10%10%
1
Interest
10%10%10%
1
Easiness
10%10%10%
1
Average 10%
Biology 3FF3

This course was quite possibly the worst I have endured at university. Our first lecture began with the professor saying something along the lines of "This course is based on the textbook, as interpreted by my mind, and spewed out to you in my words". I should have seen the disaster coming.

The assignments and quizzes during the semester lull you into a false sense of security. Here is the course breakdown:

Quizzes: 10 @ 3% each
Assignment: 10 @ 2% each
Exam: 50%

Just about everyone went into the exam with an 11 or 12. Most came out with a grade FAR lower. The exam is open book but don't let that fool you. Dr. Stone likes to pick on small insignificant details he went over in lecture for about 2.5 seconds and make it worth 2% of your final mark. Painful does not BEGIN to describe that exam.

It's quite possible that my mind simply does not work the way Dr. Stone's does and that there were other students who got more value out of this course than I did. At the end of the day, the couse material out of the textook was super-interesting, but out of the mind and mouth of Dr. Stone, it was hell in a handbook.
Deleted Post
Edit/Delete Message
Click here to add your own review for Biology 3FF3!

Old 06-13-2009 at 04:40 PM   #2
Dielcat
Member
Posts: 1

Thanked: Thanked 5 Times
Liked: Liked 2 Times
Before I took evolution all of my upper friends gave me the exact same warning. You'll do fine till the end of the year and then the exam will kill you. However, I had a completely different experience with the course. It was interesting, entertaining, thought provoking and actually educational.

Tutorials
Per norm this experience depends largely on what kind of a TA you get. The first few weeks you have 1 page or less written assignments which are on topics given in class. These range from constructing phylogenetic trees from specimens given in tutorial to discussing evolution and statements made by the Pope. The aim of these tutorials is to provide the students with enough general knowledge on evolution that they can hold a decent educated conversation on any major evolution related issue.

Lectures
You need to attend these class. Most of his slides are picture which he elaborates on. If you miss one you need to spend a lot of time going over the text book in detail. He's pictures are often not from the textbook so it hard to figure out exactly what you need to know. Going to class makes it much easier. A lot of what he covers discusses weird traits that are found in nature and relates this back to the theory of evolution. Very interesting and easy to remember. Please note the population genetics proportion is very dry unless your into that kind of stuff. As an ecologist, I found it deathly boring.

Exam
The exam is open book. Like stated above the biggest mistake you can make is under-estimate it. He can and will ask you on fine details because you have the dam textbook in front of you. You have much more time then you will ever need as well so don't panic. Nonetheless, you actually need to read ALL of the relevant parts of the text book to study for this thing properly. Yes you must read a whole text book for the course. This way you'll know where everything is when you walk in there, plus you'll retain more then you expect. Lastly learn how to use the text book. Glossary, index and appendices are your friends for this guy.

Professor

Dr. Stone is one of the best professors McMaster has to offer. He acutally cares about you and how you are making out with the course. He is more then willing build a relationship with you if you acutally try and talk to a prof. Plus if you have any problems with the way the course is being marked ect. he will listen to your complaint and if its acutally valid he will modify the course. Bottom line-- he's awesome, take a course with him whenever you can.

Overall

This course is modified a lot over the years based on student feed back. I think it has recently been improved for the better after alot of comments from students who took the course the year before me. Therefore the course I've taken and the one you will take my not be the same at all-- just something to keep in mind when signing up for this one

katesaidhi, Kayli, manaya, myoozik, SciMania all say thanks to Dielcat for this post.

Anaam, AndreaS like this.
  Reply With Quote
Old 08-10-2010 at 02:51 PM   #3
sambhuvan
Member
Posts: 58

Thanked: 0 Times
Liked: 0 Times
does anyone have the course outline?
  Reply With Quote
Old 08-10-2010 at 02:54 PM   #4
jhan523
Moderator
MacInsiders Staff
Posts: 12,484

Thanked: 1,629 Times
Liked: 604 Times
Quote:
Originally Posted by sambhuvan View Post
does anyone have the course outline?
We have an entire forum of course outlines: http://www.macinsiders.com/showthrea...ogy-28713.html
__________________
Jeremy Han
McMaster Alumni - Honours Molecular Biology and Genetics
Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University Third Year - Doctor of Optometry
  Reply With Quote


Old 05-02-2011 at 02:30 PM   #5
3am Coffee
Senior Member
Posts: 198

Thanked: 10 Times
Liked: 155 Times
anyone taken this recently? review plz
  Reply With Quote
Old 05-03-2011 at 08:08 PM   #6
SciMania
Elite Member
Posts: 547

Thanked: 122 Times
Liked: 74 Times
I took this course in fall 2011 with Dr. Stone.

Personally, I did not enjoy this course much and did not come out feeling like I had learned much at all. The course provides an overview of Evolution from the prespective of the textbook authors, not Dr. Stone himself. It covers:

-Intro (HIV, Darwin natural selection, evolutionary trees)

-Mechanisms of Evolutionary Change (ex. Mutations, selection, migration, drift, non-random mating, linkage etc.) - this was probably the worst part of the course, it could have been very interesting but Dr. Stone chose to approach this from a very BORING mathematical prespective, lectures were filled with really useless mathematical equations. he claimed we didn't need to memorize them but NOT TRUE...they showed up on the test and required you to understand them, low and behold the test average was near 55%.

-Adaptation

-History of Life (speciation, human evolution)

Breakdown:
Report - 8% (a very simple, 250 words based on a famous quotation)
Online Quizzes (8 x 3% each) - REALLY annoying and frustrating as they basically test your knowledge to dig through the textbook and interpret detailed, confusingly worded questions
Tutorial assignments (8 x 4% each) - these were super easy, usually completed during the tutorial itself
Mini tests - (3 x 12% each) application of lecture material

NO EXAM!! <-- probably the upside of the course.

Honestly, I would not recommend this course. Lecture notes are basically pictures from the textbook and midterms cover random aspects of the lecture notes. It is definitley possible to do well, Dr. Stone is fairly flexible - he allows you to drop one of the tutorial assignments and also allowed us to drop our worst midterm (I think?). Anyways, if you do well on the tutorial assignments, which are easy, and the online quizzes which are easy but frustrating, it is definitely possible to get a 10+. Going to lectures is not really necessary since you can read the textbook and get the same thing out of it.

You will need to keep up with textbook readings, and the course proceeds fairly quickly. So unless you want to read a whole textbook on Evolution, I would say stay away from this course. That said, I have no complaints about Dr. Stone - he's a very interesting lecturer, but the lectures themselves are far from interesting...
__________________
Honours Biology IV

jubilantx, meddling, traveler10 all say thanks to SciMania for this post.

jubilantx likes this.
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-04-2011 at 03:27 PM   #7
doucetj
Member
Posts: 4

Thanked: 1 Time
Liked: 1 Time
I took the course in 2011 and actually liked it (please don't flame meeee). I mostly liked the evaluation style, as it suits someone like me, who sucks at memorization but can problem-solve. I found that it was one of the few courses where reading the textbook is actually helpful and relates directly to the course (good or bad depends on your own preference).
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-10-2011 at 07:12 PM   #8
hohoangv
Member
Posts: 8

Thanked: 0 Times
Liked: 0 Times
this class is not a very interesting class, but you can definitely achieve a 12 in it.
there are sooo many assignments and quizes that it can be annoying but there's so many that they bring your mark UP even if you do HORRIBLY on the test (test only account for 36% of your grade)

i would recommend it for sure if you want need to bring up your science average
  Reply With Quote
Old 12-29-2011 at 12:42 PM   #9
Freak705
Elite Member
Posts: 377

Thanked: 90 Times
Liked: 158 Times
Review - Fall 2011
Alright, I feel like I need to clear up some misconceptions about this class, or at least try and even out the perception of this class. A lot of people I know turned down this class based on the first review here, and I think it painted a bit of an inaccurate picture. I just finished taking this class and it was nothing like the horror-show that people think it was.

It seems like the structure of the course has changed quite a bit over the years, so here was the structure this past semester:

-10 tutorial assignments, each at 12 marks a piece. Average of these marks is weighted 30%
-10 online quizzes at 2% each for a total of 20%
-A ~500 word report, 10%
-Final Exam, OPEN BOOK, 40%

The first review here mentioned that the course is based on the textbook. This is 100% true. However, Dr. Stone does an amazing job in covering the topics. If you read the textbook and attend lectures, you should have a solid understanding of all the course material. A lot of it is review from Bio 1M03 and Bio 2C03, and there's a fairly large focus on population genetics with respect to mutation, selection, migration etc. The course also discusses topics relating to HIV, building phylogenies/cladograms, disease and human health, human evolution, sexual selection, selection acting at different levels, etc.

The tutorials are stupid easy. Honestly it would take serious skill to get less than 10/12 on any of them. Usually there are 1-2 questions you answer in tutorial, and then the remaining questions you finish at home and bring in the next week. We reviewed some of the contents of Darwin's and Alfred Russel Wallace's publications, summarizing them in modern terms, as well as participating in an evolution vs creationism debate, exposing the lack of science behind that movement. Other tutorials involved examining trilobite fossils, insects & their features to make a phylogeny, or in-tutorial games to represent natural selection in action or to represent refutation of the parable of the Watchmaker. In general, the tutorials were easy, though they didn't necessarily follow the content/pacing of the lecture material.

The online quizzes were tricky, but in all honesty they were fair. They followed the pacing of the course exactly, and almost every single question was lifted directly from the textbook. As long as you read the questions carefully, read the textbook passages carefully, and use your brain for some critical thinking, you will do fine! THESE ARE EASY MARKS IF YOU HAVE PATIENCE! There was no time limit on the quizzes, and you generally had 1 week to complete them.

The report this semester was focused on refuting Harold Camping's doomsday predictions & claims that the earth is a mere 6-10,000 years old. It consisted of less than 1 page of writing, and was worth 10% of your final grade. Most people did well, but there was some confusion about grading between TA's and a few people had bad marks (myself included, a 7 out of 12). However, Dr. Stone reviewed the papers and corrected the grading, and I was brought back up to a 10/12.

As far as the exam goes.. It was fair. However, it was completely different from the types of questions we had on quizzes. But the key thing here is that it was OPEN BOOK. Many (most) questions were about applying your knowledge, but some questions were taken DIRECTLY FROM EXAMPLES IN THE TEXTBOOK, same numbers and all (questions about underdominance/overdominance & population genetics). If you got any of those questions wrong, wow. You have no excuse. If you have any ounce in your brain dedicated to common sense/rational thinking, then the exam was quite easy. Given that we could bring our textbook into the exam, I really can't see how anyone would have trouble. According to Avenue though, the exam average was 68%. So take that for what it's worth, I guess.

Personally, I found this class pretty easy. There were no midterms, so in all honesty I neglected this class until the week before the exam. I skipped ~50% of the lectures, I did 2 chapters of reading in September, and the remaining ~15 chapters in the week before the exam. I wrote no notes, and I only briefly went over the end of chapter questions with a friend the day before the exam. (We just answered the questions verbally). I scored 100% on the exam. (Please not I'm not trying to brag or anything, nor am I endorsing my study habits, I'm actually ashamed.. All I'm trying to say is that you can do well in this class, especially if you put real effort into it!)

In my opinion, this was a great class. While I missed class, I did go and visit Dr. Stone a few times during the semester at his lab/office and he was very friendly and very helpful. He always stays for a few minutes after class to answer questions, and he's very approachable. Probably my favourite prof of 3rd year so far. As far as I'm concerned, considering all of biology is inescapably linked to evolution, I think this should be a class that every biology student takes!
__________________
Honours Molecular Biology & Genetics Co-op 2014
Hedden Hall 2009/2010
  Reply With Quote
Old 12-29-2011 at 12:54 PM   #10
jhan523
Moderator
MacInsiders Staff
Posts: 12,484

Thanked: 1,629 Times
Liked: 604 Times
Quote:
Originally Posted by Freak705 View Post
It seems like the structure of the course has changed quite a bit over the years, so here was the structure this past semester:
I think the marking scheme changes every year... Last year there were midterms and no exam.
__________________
Jeremy Han
McMaster Alumni - Honours Molecular Biology and Genetics
Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University Third Year - Doctor of Optometry
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-06-2012 at 10:11 AM   #11
Lulie
Member
Posts: 43

Thanked: 3 Times
Liked: 18 Times
Took this class this semester too. Had the same experience as the poster before me: slept through 1/3 of lectures, confused in the other 1/3 (population genetics, oi), missed 1/3 of the lectures. I didn't do so well on the exam as I had thought but since I did well on the tutorials (had a chill TA), report, and quizzes, it didn't matter. This course was my first 12. Did I deserve it? No, probably not. I refused to buy the textbook, (used a library copy for the exam) because I could not justify buying the 100$+ evolution book that I thought was poorly written.

This class is a grade-booster, but I regret taking it. I didn't learn anything that I didn't already learn from Bio 1M03, and probably will learn from Bio 3UU3. Completely disagree with the suggestion that this course is essential.

More details about the exam:
20 MC
3 hours
Open Book
Part Marks Given
  Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2012 at 02:10 PM   #12
brendanp
Senior Member
Posts: 198

Thanked: 16 Times
Liked: 26 Times
took it in Fall 2011,

don't really have much to add to the recent posts, except that his questions (especially on the exam) have very tricky wording, and can be quite wordy. having said that, the exam was still not too difficult overall, however without the textbook it would have been hard. It was also something like 20 questions and 40% of your mark. As long as you do the quizzes, tutorials, assignments on time, and with a little bit of effort, you will do well on them. If you read and understand the textbook (going to class does help for this course), then you can get a great mark.
  Reply With Quote
Old 05-15-2012 at 07:30 PM   #13
Sel_s
Member
Posts: 30

Thanked: 1 Time
Liked: 1 Time
I've never had an open book exam, what exactly are you allowed to bring? Are you allowed to have sticky notes and flags in the textbook?
  Reply With Quote
Old 05-17-2012 at 08:40 AM   #14
Cristina_n13
Senior Member
Posts: 165

Thanked: 74 Times
Liked: 23 Times
Yes to flags, sticky notes were questionable, but I had them and no one said anything.

To be honest none of those things helped me for the open book exam, as long as you know how to use a textbook and know where you index, glossary etc. all is then you're golden. I, similar to the previous poster only read a chapter at the beginning of the year, skipped numerous classes and tried to cram the rest of the textbook in about 5 days. I skipped the last few chapters of the textbook but did extremely well on the exam because of being able to use the index.
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2012 at 12:58 PM   #15
asdf
Member
Posts: 8

Thanked: 0 Times
Liked: 0 Times
I didn't find the open book exam particularly difficult. You have plenty of time and the index is very helpful. Don't underestimate it though. Do the readings throughout the whole term as opposed to before the exam (which won't work if you have to read an entire textbook...)

If your mark for the labs is better than that of the exam, he will make the exam worth less (from 40% to 30%). Bird course in my opinion.
  Reply With Quote



Review Tools Search this Review
Search this Review:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new reviews
You may not post comments
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



McMaster University News and Information, Student-run Community, with topics ranging from Student Life, Advice, News, Events, and General Help.
Notice: The views and opinions expressed in this page are strictly those of the student(s) who authored the content. The contents of this page have not been reviewed or approved by McMaster University or the MSU (McMaster Students Union). Being a student-run community, all articles and discussion posts on MacInsiders are unofficial and it is therefore always recommended that you visit the official McMaster website for the most accurate up-to-date information.

Copyright © MacInsiders.com All Rights Reserved. No content can be re-used or re-published without permission. MacInsiders is a service of Fullerton Media Inc. | Created by Chad
Originally Powered by vBulletin®, Copyright © 2019 MH Sub I, LLC dba vBulletin. All rights reserved. | Privacy | Terms