Deb Simon - Grand Valley State University

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Deb Simon - Grand Valley State University

Professor: Deb Simon

Department: Biology

College: Grand Valley State University

Rating # 1

Overview:

Course: BIO121LAB
Grade Received: B
Overall Rating: 4.0
Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Professor Simon is a good lab instructor. The only complaint I have is that the pre-labs were a bit difficult and very time consuming. She is always to help and is very understanding. I got covid and she extended my due dates until I was up to completing them. Definitely take her!!

Rating # 2

Overview:

Course: BIO120
Grade Received: B+
Overall Rating: 2.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Gives very confusing lectures for a fully online class and her tests were very difficult and solely based on her lectures, a lot of information and if you aren't naturally great at bio I recommend a different professor if you can.. maybe she's better in person.

Rating # 3

Overview:

Course: BIO120
Grade Received: A-
Overall Rating: 1.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

If you are enrolled in her BIO 120 lecture, GET OUT. She puts out lectures and seems to be reading from a book (she often messes up and has to go back) and just reads off slides with very confusing diagrams. Not tech-savvy and the material on her exams were not covered in the class. Assignments are ridiculously hard and I had to get a tutor to pass

Rating # 4

Overview:

Course: BIO120
Grade Received: B-
Overall Rating: 3.0
Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

She's a nice person, but her class is really hard especially if you're not good at biology. She's an easy grader on assignments but they're super difficult.

Rating # 5

Overview:

Course: BIO120
Grade Received: B+
Overall Rating: 1.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I had Deb apart of an asynchronous class. I cannot speak of her in person but as for online I definitely would switch out ASAP. She isnt very good with technology, its rather difficult to reach her, expect you to memorize your entire biology book so good luck, her online lectures are awful and dont provide half of the material covered on exams.

Rating # 6

Overview:

Course: BIO121
Grade Received: A
Overall Rating: 4.0
Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I took BIO 121 lecture online with Professor Simon. The class consisted of watching 3-6 lecture videos each week, a quick and easy Mastering Biology assignment, and usually a short test over that week's material. As long as you watch all lectures and do all assignments you should be fine. The class is very test heavy. She seems nice though!

Rating # 7

Overview:

Course: BIO120
Grade Received: B-
Overall Rating: 2.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

She switched from completely in-person to fully online two days before the course started. She is not very tech-savvy and barely responded to emails. I had to get a tutor because I was so confused. You honestly don't need the textbook because in order to get a passing grade you have to memorize her lectures. Avoid if possible

Rating # 8

Overview:

Course: BIO121
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 2.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

She will give you notes that she expects you to know word by word. Not all material on tests are covered in class; however, the book covers less than what she teaches in class. You can do alright if you really study the notes, but don't expect an A.

Rating # 9

Overview:

Course: BIO120
Grade Received: C
Overall Rating: 4.0
Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I didn't look at her reviews before taking her class. I think she is average overall. I could have done soooo much better if I put in more effort. She teaches and appears to be very available outside of class. She offers extra credit so that was nice. I recommend going to all classes because she lectures every day. I wouldn't recommend her.

Rating # 10

Overview:

Course: BIO121
Grade Received: A
Overall Rating: 5.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I had bio with Prof. Simon during the Covid-19 debacle. I was so impressed with her dedication to our learning; she transitioned her lectures online seamlessly. Never worry if you don't understand something in class--she is readily available outside class and always ready to help. Just don't skip lectures! Ever! They're worth their weight in gold.

Rating # 11

Overview:

Course: BIO120
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 1.0
Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I can not stress enough not to take debs class. I struggled so much in it. I tried getting a tutor and studying different way with my friends and did nothing but struggle. Worst bio teacher ever for a 100 level class. Very Lecture Heavy!

Rating # 12

Overview:

Course: BIO120
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 2.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I did not enjoy her class at all. This class really stressed me out, and was pretty difficult. You really have to work for it, which can be hard when you're also managing lots of other classes. Her exams are very challenging so put in a lot of time if you want to do well. I do not recommend taking her class!

Rating # 13

Overview:

Course: BIO121
Grade Received: A
Overall Rating: 1.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

If you want to enjoy your course, don't take her. She sucks the joy out of learning and is honestly the worst professor I've ever had. Lectures contain a lot of information and she won't slow down enough for anyone to take the quality of notes she requires. Exams are very hard and comprise almost 100% of your grade. Avoid at all costs!!

Rating # 14

Overview:

Course: BIO120
Grade Received: A
Overall Rating: 3.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Professor Simon was an average professor. Not a bad professor by any means but not extraordinary. She feeds power points to you, but also write key details that she thinks are extra important. I would definitely recommend reading the book in order to pass because she goes into deep detail for specific questions. The final was super easy and fast.

Rating # 15

Overview:

Course: BIO121
Grade Received: F
Overall Rating: 2.0
Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I knew I was in for a hard class when she started giving a lecture immediately after she finished reading the syllabus. She writes notes on a whiteboard as she's talking and going through the presentation, but she moves quickly and I often couldn't really listen to what she was saying because I was too busy trying to take the notes.

Rating # 16

Overview:

Course: BIO120
Grade Received: B
Overall Rating: 3.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

For Prof Simon you have to work for a good grade. She is very knowledgeable and literally writes down notes for you to copy down. I found it hard to learn this way and was teaching myself for the majority of the semester. Overall, she knows what she is talking about but teaches it in a way that is difficult to retain information.

Rating # 17

Overview:

Course: BIO120
Grade Received: A
Overall Rating: 4.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I really liked her teaching style. She lectures the whole class, but goes at a good pace. Test questions are not super straightforward, but if you study enough and know the material, you'll be fine. You definitely have to put in a lot of work, but she helps you out and gives extra credit on tests. Makes it clear what she expects from you.

Rating # 18

Overview:

Course: BIO121LAB
Grade Received: D
Overall Rating: 1.0
Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Worst ever. She would look over my work, tell me it looked good and then would give me a 2/10. When asked for help, she wouldn't tell me what I did wrong and would just tell me that I could make points up later. I loved bio and got A's in it before her class. I ended up changing my major. WORST EVER

Rating # 19

Overview:

Course: BIO121
Grade Received: D
Overall Rating: 1.0
Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Worst professor and grader ever. I barely passed the class and I attribute to her only. When I asked for help she merely told me I could make up points later without telling me what I did wrong. Gives reviews that don't help. Lectures are pointless and barely knows what she's doing. GET OUT

Rating # 20

Overview:

Course: BIO120
Grade Received: C+
Overall Rating: 1.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Her classes are super lecture heavy. She gives several pages of notes each class, but they dont really make much sense, so basically you need to teach yourself everything outside of class.

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