Professor: Holowinsky Course format: Lecture w/lab	Number of respondents: 10 Total Enrollment: 12
Class Composition: Froshs: 10 Sophs: 1 Jrs: 0 Srs: 1 Concs: 1 Non-Concs: 4 Don't Know: 5

Instructor Average: 1.51 Course Average: 1.59

“Biological Time Keeping” focuses on how the biological clocks in organisms work and examines how the timing mechanisms work at a molecular level. This course is limited to freshmen and sophomores with advanced placement in biology only.

Professor Holowinsky received high praises for his enthusiasm, effectiveness as a lecturer and accessibility. They liked that he usually started off lectures with an interesting mystery and slowly unravels it as the class proceeded. Respondents said he was always clear, organized, and prepared when presenting the material. Most students thought he made good use of slides and graphs to lead the lecture. They appreciated that he was always very open to questions and would always answer them. People remarked that he was sensitive to student’s learning needs based on their background, and constantly checked if students were following the subject matter. The only downside mentioned was that there was not a lot of class discussion.

This class did not use textbooks, and the assigned readings were described as very advanced and challenging. Reviewers said they definitely needed the guidance of the professor to understand the material, although most felt that the readings were interesting and helpful in order to succeed in the course. The course requirements consisted of two take-home midterms, a final research paper, and a lab report. Students liked the variety of assignments.

Survey respondents on average spent four to six hours per week on this class, and that number increased when there was a written assignment due. Overall, students really enjoyed the class and recommended taking it not only because the material was interesting, but also because Professor Holowinsky was well-liked and his positive attitude encouraged them to succeed.

View BI/0019 in the Brown Online Course Announcement.