Marcus Ammerlaan - University of Michigan

Professor: Marcus Ammerlaan
Department: Biology
College: University of Michigan
Rating # 1
Overview:
  • Course: BIO173
  • Grade Received: A
  • Overall Rating: 3.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: No
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
The lectures were given by Ammerlaan, but all grading was done by GSIs. There were two quizzes, essentially a midterm and an exam, that tested more advanced concepts compared to what we learned. The structure of these quizzes felt like an AP exam. There's a lot of 'fluff' grades to balance out the quizzes, but your grade will depend on your GSI.
Rating # 2
Overview:
  • Course: BIO173
  • Grade Received: A
  • Overall Rating: 3.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: No
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
The workload wasn't bad and lab activities were doable, but we had some strange quizzes and I feel that lecture content didn't prepare us well for it. The class is GSI orientated, and I was lucky to have a helpful and nice GSI
Rating # 3
Overview:
  • Course: BIO173
  • Grade Received: A-
  • Overall Rating: 2.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: No
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
He does not respond to emails in a timely matter and when he does he is rude about it. He acts like a celebrity. He said to me during office hours he is like this to prepare us for the real world, but in reality, he is not a good guy. I truly do not know how he still has a job, I would rather wait to take in the fall than take with him in winter.
Rating # 4
Overview:
  • Course: BIO173
  • Grade Received: A
  • Overall Rating: 1.0
  • Course Difficulty: 2.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: No
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
He gave a ridiculous amount of work for a class that was only 2 credits. His grading is also ridiculous as a 95 is the cut-off for an A. The lecture and assignments were nowhere near the material that was on the exam.
Rating # 5
Overview:
  • Course: BIO173
  • Grade Received: A
  • Overall Rating: 2.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: No
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
My GSI never knew what was going on. When I would email Professor Ammerlaan he seemed very bothered and responded curtly even though in his lectures he talks about how accessible he is. The grading criteria is never clear and often we miss points on tests because he expects something in the answer that the question didn't ask for.
Rating # 6
Overview:
  • Course: BIO173
  • Grade Received: A
  • Overall Rating: 1.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: No
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
I'll preface this by saying that I had a really bad interaction with Professor Ammerlaan - that many probably won't have. He boasts in his lectures that he's there for students, but then when you actually reach out to him he takes a week+ to respond - and in my case, he was pretty disrespectful when he finally got around to it. Wouldn't recommend.
Rating # 7
Overview:
  • Course: BIO173
  • Grade Received: A
  • Overall Rating: 1.0
  • Course Difficulty: 2.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: No
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
His lecture videos were extremely vague and did little help for the exams. The assignments given were always time consuming and graded hard depending on your gsi. He is unaware that students have other classes other than his.
Rating # 8
Overview:
  • Course: BIO173
  • Grade Received: A
  • Overall Rating: 3.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: No
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
Taking a bio lab online was not ideal and Ammerlaan honestly did not have much sympathy. He definitely tried to make it more accessible to us, but the quizzes were unreasonably difficult. I think he assumes that we know more than we really did. You NEEEEED to take Bio 172 with or before this class or else you are going to be so confused!
Rating # 9
Overview:
  • Course: BIO173
  • Grade Received: A
  • Overall Rating: 4.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: Yes
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
I only had Dr. Ammerlaan for bio lab but he seemed like a solid professor. He was really nice and genuinely cared about his student's success. His other classes may be more difficult, but bio lab was easy and not too much work.
Rating # 10
Overview:
  • Course: BIO172
  • Grade Received: A
  • Overall Rating: 5.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: Yes
  • Attendance: Not Mandatory
Comment:
I had Prof. Ammerlaan as a GSI for my Bio 172 discussion, and he was one of the most accessible, rigorous instructors I came across that semester. He taught with a genuine passion and worked with students to make sure they were performing well in the class. I can't speak to his performance as a lecturer, but in the capacity of a GSI he was great!
Rating # 11
Overview:
  • Course: BIO173
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 5.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: Yes
  • Attendance: Not Mandatory
Comment:
Dr. Ammerlaan is a great professor - as in, he knows how to teach. This is why his ratings in Bio 305 are so high (wish I had him for that). He also explains concepts in Bio 173 well. The GSI determines your grade though, and my GSI was the absolute worst. He didn't know how to teach, didn't know biology but loved to grade harshly.
Rating # 12
Overview:
  • Course: BIO173
  • 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:
He sucked. There's only a few assignments and he grades them way too hard. There was little explanation before hand and he was super nitpickey. Definitely would not take again. Make an intro bio lab way too involved.
Rating # 13
Overview:
  • Course: BIOLOGY173
  • Grade Received: A
  • Overall Rating: 3.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: No
  • Attendance: Not Mandatory
Comment:
Ammerlaan's lectures got better after the switch to online. The class itself is a bit disorganized and way too much work for 2 credits. Your success also really depends on your GSI. Mine was a harsh grader while others gave out easy 100s. The two quizzes are straightforward if you very thoroughly understand the concepts behind the labs.
Rating # 14
Overview:
  • Course: BIO173
  • Grade Received: A
  • Overall Rating: 1.0
  • Course Difficulty: 5.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: No
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
he's a horrible teacher. he is condescending and will make your life harder just because he can.
Rating # 15
Overview:
  • Course: BIO173
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 4.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: Yes
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
Profesor Ammerlan was good. Your experience really depends on which GSI you have to be honest. I attended Ammerlan's Friday lecture and it made the lab assignment much more clear. After classes went online, he provided very clear and helpful videos for us to learn lab techniques and theory. The quizzes can be tough.
Rating # 16
Overview:
  • Course: BIO173
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 3.0
  • Course Difficulty: 2.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: No
  • Attendance: Not Mandatory
Comment:
Since his lectures were not mandatory, I didn't really go to them but when they were moved online, I felt that all his video lectures were pretty clear and concise.
Rating # 17
Overview:
  • Course: BIO173
  • Grade Received: B+
  • Overall Rating: 3.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: No
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
It's ridiculous how much work goes into this class, specifically the last 1-2 weeks, for a 2 credit lab and how in depth papers/presentations/quizzes are based material that was presented at a very basic level. Ammerlaan was a boring lecturer, reading off a pdf that was given ahead of time, grading is strict. Too much work for a 2 credit intro lab.
Rating # 18
Overview:
  • Course: BIOLOGY173
  • Grade Received: A
  • Overall Rating: 2.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: No
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
His lectures did not keep me engaged: he doesn't use PowerPoint, so be warned. He lectures from some talking points listed on a document, that's it. Some images would have been really helpful - especially since lab topics are pretty complex. 2 WRITTEN, exam-like quizzes are given, and they are hard. 2 papers and 2 presentations also are required.
Rating # 19
Overview:
  • Course: BIO173
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 3.0
  • Course Difficulty: 5.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: No
  • Attendance: Not Mandatory
Comment:
The class was very lecture heavy and the lectures were pretty confusing and all over the place. He was a very understanding, kind professor, but the class was just difficult because there were very few assignments.
Rating # 20
Overview:
  • Course: BIO173
  • Grade Received: A
  • Overall Rating: 4.0
  • Course Difficulty: 2.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: Yes
  • Attendance: Not Mandatory
Comment:
I was one of the few who actually went to lecture for Bio 173 every week, which I would recommend because the pre-lab assignments and quizzes are incredibly straightforward as long as you go to lecture. I would recommend Dr. Ammerlaan to a friend, though since Since Bio 173 is a lab class, I had more contact with my GSI than with Dr. Ammerlaan.
Add Your Review Below:
Search Professors:
Welcome:

Before signing up for classes every students should gather as much information as possible to make a decision on which professors as well as which courses to take. This website will help you make this decision easier.

Here, the students can rate, research and cross-reference the overall performances of the professors to select the best ones, and always be informed and up-to-date with what’s important.

Join the fun! Visit all pages and get all the information you need to choose the best class and best professor that you’ll enjoy listening to and learning from.

Our Friendly Sponsor:
Schools:
Our Friendly Sponsor:


Celebrity Net Worth Visa Bulletin