Professor: Janis Course format: Lecture w/lab Number of respondents: 34 Total Enrollment: 40

Class Composition Froshs: 26 Sophs: 8 Jrs: 3 Srs: 2 Concs: 6 Non-Concs: 15 Don't Know: 9	Instructor Average: 2.10 Course Average: 1.97

"Vertebrate Evolution and Diversity" is a relatively new course offered to encourage critical thinking skills in the study of macroevolution. A general background in biology was considered absolutely necessary for understanding the material presented in this course. This fast-paced course covers a great deal of material on all aspects of evolution.

Professor Janis received favorable reviews. Students appreciated her laid-back approach and relaxed style. She was very humorous and entertaining throughout the semester. The only complaint was that she continually went too fast through the material. Yet, this speed was offset by the detailed lecture notes she gave to the class. These lecture notes made the class much easier to follow and allowed students freedom to focus on her visual aids. Janis used a great deal of visual aids in this class to enhance her lectures. These tools included slides, overheads, diagrams, and movies. The use of these aids received mixed reviews. Nevertheless, most students appreciated Professor Janis' teaching style.

Students spent approximately five to six hours a week on this course. There were two midterms and one final. The major complaint in these evaluations was that they were not consistent - one midterm would be on general concepts, the other solely on details. In addition to these exams, write-ups on the movies shown in class were due every week in section. These were considered useful in evaluating a student's understanding of course material. The reading selections were also praised by most members of the class.

Students described this course as very difficult. Janis continually stressed the importance of critical thinking skills in examining evolutionary concepts. While students enjoyed the lectures, they were often overwhelmed by the daunting amount of material in the course. Inconsistencies were noted in both the grading and exam material, which made studying for this course difficult.

Yet, despite these difficulties, students were extremely satisfied with this course. This was not described as a traditional biology class. Rather students appreciated this alternative way to study biology. The appeal of this class was only enhanced by solid reading and solid teaching.

View BI/0019 in the Brown Online Course Announcement.