AI Rate Professor

Biology

Barbara DesRochers

BIOL34 · BIO34 · BIO · BIO3 · MICRO · BIOL33 · BIOL3 · MICROBIO3 · BIO33 · BIOL1301 · MICROB1LA · 58 lifetime ratings

AI rating
38/100
RMP rating
3.3/5
Take again
60%
Difficulty
4.5

The decision

if you want rigorous pre-health training and can dedicate massive weekly hours; avoid if you need an easy A.

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerExtremely hard examsPassionate microbiology expertHeavy workload overloadDisorganized gradingPrepares for nursing and med
  • Deep subject expertise and strong prep for nursing or health careers
  • Workload and as brutal and life-consuming
  • Organization, late grading, and

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

28/100

Many say an A is possible only with extreme study time; tests are hard and .

Both online and A.

Is the course easy?

BrainBurner

14/100

Microbiology and related courses are repeatedly called the hardest at the college with massive material and labs.

Difficulty is high across both formats; sample is mostly in person.

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

30/100

, and review sessions plus class presence are treated as essential to succeed.

.

Is this professor recommended?

Depends

52/100

About 60 percent would take her again; she is loved for rigor and knowledge but avoided for chaos and toughness.

In-person opinions are polarized; both .

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Strict

28/100

and ; occasional regrading or curves exist but expectations stay high.

Format shift

Strict grading appears in .

Workload

Overwhelming

12/100

Students report 20+ , and a workload like a full schedule alone.

Format shift

Online and .

Teaching experience

Average

55/100

Passionate expert with inspiring lectures for some, .

Format shift

and criticism.

Assessment method

FocusOnExams

72/100

Hard lecture and and long labs supporting them.

Format shift

; .

Luni fit check

Weigh these signals against your actual schedule.

Get help balancing workload, grading, and timing when no option is an obvious fit.

Course format

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Classroom format

In person

48 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

In-person students split between calling her the best rigorous bio professor and , and exam-brutal.

Main concern

, and chaotic organization can sink GPA and time.

What students said

“ , and . But that's the way it should be.”
BIOL3
“Terrible time management - months late grading, lab protocols planned to run overtime”
BIO33
“this class will consume your life with its workload.”
BIO3

Remote format

Online

2 reviews

Low confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

Both online reviews describe , and limited office-hour access.

Main concern

Expect 20-30+ hours weekly with and As.

What students said

“expect to work more than 20-30 hours weekly to do well in and lecture courses.”
BIO33
“You really need to dedicate time to study hard to . NOT an easy A.”
BIO33

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exams are widely described as extremely hard, sometimes with multi-select items and material beyond simple review sheets.

Very hard testsConcept-heavy not just memorizationMulti-answer multiple choiceReview sheets often incomplete

Assessment risk

Strict

28/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

In-person exams are tough, concept-focused, sometimes multi-answer multiple choice, with limited partial credit.

Extremely hard testsMulti-answer multiple choiceConcept over pure memorizationLong labs
“ , and .”
BIOL3
“If you miss one of the letters, the whole thing is wrong! no partial credit even if you selected 5 of the 6 correct answers”
BIOL3
“The exams are tough but the instructor delivers a and many review sessions”
BIO3

Online

Online students say exams are not from the review sheet or textbook directly and require heavy dedicated study.

Hard examsNot easy AStudy-intensive
“ from the textbook. You really need to dedicate time to study hard to . NOT an easy A.”
BIO33

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“If you want to be a nurse, this is the class you need! It is a hard class, but you will learn a lot.”

Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews (2 online, 48 in person), highlighting rigor, workload, and polarization. Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

55/100

“Barbara is definitely an expert in her field. I respect her greatly as a researcher and professor.”

🔥 Workload Intensity

12/100

“this class will consume your life with its workload. Seriously. So much for "community college."”

📝

28/100

“ and completing the study guide will not help you.”

👍

70/100

“ if you really want to learn because she's so knowledgeable and passionate about her field.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • She genuinely cares about her students and will go above and beyond to help
  • she discusses topics which are current and relevant today

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty and Grades

  • NOT an easy A
  • she

Theme 3

⚠️ About Organization

  • I found Barbara to be a
  • . Exhausting.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

50

Recent reviews read by the AI

58

Lifetime ratings

88/100

Evidence confidence

Fifty reviews over many years with rich detail and consistent themes of rigor, workload, and mixed organization.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 517
4 out of 515
3 out of 55
2 out of 513
1 out of 58

Course coverage

BIO326 reviews
BIOL39 reviews
BIO335 reviews
BIOL332 reviews
BIOL342 reviews
Show 6 more courses
BIO1 review
BIO341 review
BIOL13011 review
MICRO1 review
MICROB1LA1 review
MICROBIO31 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

18 reported outcomes

A range

9

A 7 · A- 2

B range

2

B 2

C range

0

No reported values

D range

0

No reported values

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

7

Not sure yet 6 · Rather_Not_Say 1