Lynne Dowdy

I had taken Dowdy previously for Bio100 so I took Bio326 (Disease) because she was teaching it. Having her a second time only proved what I already knew, which is that she is a great teacher. She is a very good speaker; her lectures are clear and to the point. She simplifies very complex topics to make it understandable for even a ten year old. She is open to answering student’s questions in class.

She covered several diseases in the beginning of the semester. Halfway, each student chose a disease to write an eight page paper on and then was put into a group of three to do an in class presentation on, which was what the second half of the semester consisted of, student presentations. The tests were multiple choice and were straight from the lectures.

You will definitely learn a lot from Dowdy…

Professor Dowdy is the BEST!!! This is a professor who really cares about her students. Her lectures are so clear that you can easily understand them in a second. If you don't understand what she teaches, she also provides you with extra help if you go to her office hours, or you can contact her through email and she would give you a helpful answer ASAP. Her class consisted of three midterms (40 multiple choice questions each), 2 papers (a short creative writing assignment about red blood cells and melanocytes and a long formal paper about herbal supplements), and a final (80 multiple choice questions). If you attend class everytime, take notes, do her review sheet, and study, you'll easily pass the class. In closing, she is the best biology teacher I've ever had.

I love a teacher who will do the work for you. And by that meaning she writes down all the notes you need onto the board. The only reason why the "minus" is on the "A" is because she tends to go out of the subject at hand, and it confuses people to what material has to be studied. The gives good exams, all multiple choice. All you gotta do is study the review sheet and you're all set. She treats her classes like junior high. It's funny..."ok so I'm going to use the letter A for this sub-catagory..."

SIMPLIFICATION is the key! She makes everything so simple that it's extremely easy to follow what she's talking about (even if it's about chemistry...blah) I would definitely recommend this class to new students because she not only is a great teacher to get acquainted with at SFSU, but she'll also provide you with some general how-to's and faq's to students such as the credit/no-credit option, when's the last day to drop, where to get test forms, where to go for certain things, deadlines, you know the drill etc. Even if you've been around SFSU for a while, I still recommend her because she's an excellent teacher who will baby you and remind you why you chose to go to school here.

There are THREE MIDTERMS 90% of the multiple choice questions are derived from her lectures, and 10% from the textbook (don't worry, you don't have to read ALL of the book unless you want to get a strong grasp of what she's talking about...she'll tell you what pages she'll test you on...this means that if you want to save money, just copy the pages she wants you to read and return the book). You get to keep your tests to study for the FINAL, so she writes new ones each year, but the exams for the previous semester will be posted on ERES (Electronic Reserve). Turnaround for exams are about a week to two weeks.

The FINAL is COMPHRENSIVE. 50% on all the material after MT3 and 50% on all the materials on the previous tests.

The GOOD thing. You get a very detailed list of what to study for the tests. They are given about a week in advance and about 95% of the material from the study guide is covered on the exams. There was a curve for the class for the tests.

There are TWO ESSAYS. The FIRST essay is a 2 page creative paper, she'll give you the guidelines and the reading material. Our topic was on the relationship between melanocytes and red blood cells, the previous semester was on the sperm and egg. The SECOND essay is 4-6 pages, it is a research paper, more formal. Our topic for this semester was on herbal supplements. Her topic changes from semester to semester, and the turnaround time for the essays take about a month.

TIPS TO DO WELL IN THIS CLASS 1. GO TO CLASS! It's not only interesting, but it's on the test too! 2. GO TO CLASS! You miss a day, you're doomed on the exam. Even if you do miss class, e-mail her to see what you can do to catch up. 3. GO TO CLASS! Need I stress more on this? 4. Textbook may seem like it's "required," but not that many pages need to be read from the book unless you want more info.

Professor Dowdy was very good. I liked the fact she was very clear and made sure that students understood concepts. It's important to go to class regularly because exams are based on her lectures.

Dowdy's class is the most interesing class i have taken since i've been at SFSU. She is WONDERFUL!! Her exams are tough, but extremely fair! She gives out extremely detailed review sheets, and is more than willing to go over the tougher topics. The pace of the class is great, and she always takes a few minutes to review what was taught the day before! I cant wait to take another one of her classes!!

You have to take Prof. Dowdy! She is THE perfect teacher. I was dreading taking Biology and it ended up being my favorite class EVER. Her lectures are organized and easy to understand. The tests are OK because she gives you a study guide with exactly what is on the test. I could go on and on because she is THE BEST..just take her, you wont be disappointed!

dowdy is definetley a teacher you would want to take for human biology. She's very well spoken and makes things very easy to understand. I've noticed that once she covers something and asks the class if they have any questions no one has a question about the topic of the lecture itself because this lady KNOWS WHAT SHE'S TALKING ABOUT! We never had homework but we had 2 papers to write and they were not bad at all. They were simple tasks to finish and she is very fair with the tests. If more than half the class misses a certain question she'll just give the whole class the points for that question. I really reccommend her for human bio.

I would encourage anyone to take this class, for fun, for an ego boost, and for a truly interesting subject. I never had real problems in biology, but give Prof. Dowdy any subject and I've no doubts that she would excel in teaching any subject. She knows everything she lectures about inside and out and if you happen to catch her on something she doesn't know, she checks and gives you an answer. She is amazing, and out of the four classes I'm taking she's the only teacher I like and it's the only class I actually enjoy. My three hours of travel on MWF are all for Prof. Dowdy! If you're having trouble in bio, take Dowdy's class, she'll make you love it and understand it just as well as she does!

her review sheets for the exams help A LOT! she would give you the BEST review sheet coz its everything you'll need to know for the test. plus, if you take notes, there's no problem getting an A in this class...

While I usually try and avoid superlatives and hyperboles, I have to say that this is in fact the best teacher I have ever had, and I MEAN it. Professor Dowdy is courteous, nice, extremely knowledgable; her classroom lectures are clear, concise, follow the book and the syllabus; her writing is excellent, she is very fair in tests and also hands out study sheets AS WELL as old exams, and the two projects during the semester are indeed an excellent way to learn even more about biology.

What a fantastic professor to learn science with!!!

Very well spoken, knows what she is talking about. If you want to learn, I recommend taking this class. It is very hard to get an A, you definitely have to work for it, but if you come to class every day, your grade will reflect it.

This was a great class with a great professor. Dr. Dowdy was recommended to me by a friend who took the class with her last year and I am glad I took her advice. I think the only thing I didn't like about the class was the topics that we had to choose from for the research paper requirement, but the way the class is structured I know it must be hard to try and choose topics that everyone would be interested in. We had to write a research paper and then give a group presentation on our topic with others in the class that had the same topic that we did. I really enjoyed my topic even though I wasn't terribly interested in it originally and the presentation was kind of fun. I had a good time in the class and feel the information I learned will be useful beyond my college years. She is a great lecturer and is approachable and easy to talk to. She even let me take an exam during another class so that I could go watch another of my teachers in the music department perform. Take this teacher, she's great!!!

Prof. Dowdy is amazing! Human Bio is a hard class, mind you, but she gives you the tools you need to suceed in the class. Her study guides are great (over-studying yes -but you are completly prepared for the exams). She is available after class and during her office hours. She is completely willing to talk or help you. She also grades on a curve (a big help on hard tests!) Her lectures are informative, concise, interesting, and organizaed.

I would recommend her with complete faith! Take her!

This class is very hard, and your have to put into it what you want out of it. But you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about your paper subject, and she was very helpfull in guiding me in researching my topic. Her tests and quizes are hard, but she has two ways of caluclating your grade, and she automatically gives you the best option. The class presentation was a little scary, but this is a skill that you need in the real world, and she provides you an excellent forum to practice. A real learning challange from a real teacher. Thanks lynne!

Exams: Study guides provided...but you must study.

Handwriting: Very clear and she spells out almost everything.

Lectures: extremely clear and interesting

Projects: I had a ten page paper and a group presentation.

Dowdy is GREAT!!! She is very clear on lectures and her subject matter. She teaches slow enough for you to understand the complicated subject yet interesting enough to keep you awake AND wanting to learn at the end of the day---she was my last class.

You should definitely choose Professor Dowdy. She teaches biology very very VERY well. Before Prof. Dowdy, I dreaded biology (photo..., what?) because of my past experience in High School. But unlike High School biology, you will never get lost or confused in Prof. Dowdy's class. She gives GREAT lectures and guides her students through every step of whatever it is you're learning about. She doesn't jump around, but if she does, she makes it very clear that she's jumping and why. There's just no surprises with her, she does a great job at teaching Biology 100. Almost made me change my major from Business to Biology!

Her exams, if you pay attention to her lectures are a piece of cake! Before the exam, she gives three throughout the semester and one final, she'll give you a very descriptive study sheet and you can access past midterms on ERES. Very helpful! It's so easy to pass her midterms and final. All my friends that took the class with me agree that she teaches very well, very organized, and knows exactly what she's talking about. I am so glad I took her! She made my life a lot easier!

Take her, and I bet you won't regret it.

(she also gives two papers for you to write, but they are easy - watch the grammar though)

She is a great teacher who cares that you learn! Her lectures are very informative and clear. You could study old tests that she has on electronic reserve. Overall she is an excellent teacher and I would reccomend her to anyone!

Dowdy is a great teacher! I don't know, what can I say? If you follow her lectures and go to class, you can easly ace the exams! She even lets you study exams from the past, so that helps alot! The way she present her lectures are very organized, and she won't confuse you at all! I definitely recommend Dowdy to anyone!

I'm one of the students who avoided science classes for as long as possible, but Lynne Dowdy made biology interesting. She's a great lecturer but her exams are tough. You have to read the questions very carefully. There are 3 exams with 50 multiple choose questions. The final is cummulative with 100 questions and the first 50 questions are on old materials. We had to do 2 papers one 3-4 pages and one 7-8 pages. The first one was a creative writing assignment and the last one was a more formal paper.

Dowdy is a fabulous lecturer. She is very prepared and thorough in her lectures. For students who are just taking this Bio class for GE credit, as long as you make it to the lectures and pay attention, you may not even find it necessary to read the book; although, of course it's highly encouraged! If you have to fulfill segment II for the biological sciences category, I strongly recommend taking Bio 100 with Dowdy.

A fairly easy course as long as you pay attention. Dowdy organizes her lectures well, but kind of has an annoying voice that is hard to take early in the morning. She says you won't be able to do well on the exams if you wait until the night before to study, but she's lying. Very little reading is required, but you have to write two papers. One of them is very stupid and will make you feel like you're doing a kindergarten assignment ("I am a cancer cell..."). Overall, I was happy with what I learned about the human body and how it functions. I eat more spinach now because I know that the iron is required in my hemoglobin to bind to the oxygen and carry it through my bloodstream to my cells so that my ATP can make energy.

Phenomenal instructor! Dr. Dowdy is one of the best instructors I have ever had. I learned so much from her. Her exams are tough. You learn after the first one that she's not going to give any obvious answers. It is very difficult to get an A in this class but if you go to her lectures, study the material, and really understand everything, you will do fine. She is also the most organized teacher I've ever had. Other teachers need to learn from her. She also hands out great review questions before each exam. Also, if you do not understand a concept, she will gladly explain it again. She really tries to help her students. Great class. Great instructor. I give her an A+.

Lynne Dowdy is the BEST professor I've had so far in SFSU. She is very organized, and her lectures are absolutely wonderful (as many have stated already). Even though the material in her lectures may get boring at times, Prof. Dowdy makes you want to listen to every word that comes out of her. The only way to do good in her class though, is to: STUDY hard for the tests, attend her lectures and take very, very detailed notes -- you'll need them, trust me. Also, take advantage of the review sheets she hands out before tests and look at previous exams available online or at the reserve book room in the library. Her grading system is very straight to the point -- 2 midterms (50 pts each), 1 long and short paper (worth 100 and 50 pts respectively), and the final(100 pts) -- all multiple choice. Anyhow, all I really have to say is: take this class if you're serious about learning and if you want one of the best professors in SFSU!

Prof. Dowdy is an amazing teacher who is organized and truly want each student to succeed. Her lectures are a must and she answers e-mail questions promptly. I recommend for the review sheets she hands out, DO EVERY SINGLE QUESTION, and study the class notes. And if you get lost through a pathway ASK QUESTIONS!! otherwise you will be lost later.

thios class was great. prof dowdy does a good job teaching biology to students who aren't bio majors. i loved her class. it was very easy: 2 midterms, a final, a paper. it might seem as a lot but it isn't. the old midterms r in the library and are a good study guide for her exams. she is fair and talks in english. if u have to take bio, take her class. i have recommended her before and my friends were happy with the class. so now i will recommend this calss to you. it is your turn.... go for it, u won't regret it

Lynne Dowdy is the best instructor I've ever had in the science. She is very organized, speaks clearly, always takes q-ns during lectures, has review shits before every exam, always there during office hours with students, and knows her subject very well. Take her, and you won't regret.

Professor Dowdy is definitely not a joke. But her lectures are terrific. She's one of the best lecturers I've taken here at SFSU so far. Her lectures are very clear and she uses everyday vocabulary. When she brings up scientific terminology, she'll always explain it to you first. If you ever have questions about anything, she'll be very willing to help you during her office hours. Attending her class is mandatory to pass the class, unless you're willing to read the whole book at home. There's about two 50 multiple choice midterms, a term paper, and a final. If you want to learn some shit about human biology, Dr. Dowdy is your instructor.

This class is so da bomb!! She is a great teacher and she makes the class so interesting and relevant. I've never had an interest in biology until then, and b/c she's so organized in her lectures, it is really helpful when studying for the exams. For a person who likes taking notes and using colored pens, this was thee class for me. The way to do well is to take whatever notes she puts on her projector, add your little commentaries for things she doesn't write, and study for her exams. She assigns a textbook, but I didn't buy it. It's useless b/c you can check it out at the Reserve Book Room since she only assigns several pages. She was pleasant and humorous, and I just loved this class. If I had a choice, I would take her again!!