Taylor, Emily  

Dr. Taylor is an amazing professor! She was my favorite professor during my first quarter at Cal Poly. She teaches very well and explains everything in detail. Dr. Taylor is really helpful and will go on for hours about sex and genitalia which makes the class seem less like a class. The tests are medium difficulty, just review the power points posted on PolyLearn; very little homework assignments also!

By far one of the best classes! Taylor is so good at making lectures exciting. As long as you participate in discussion forums and pay attention during lecture it is a great class!

Very good Teacher overall. Very knowledgable about the topics. Loved the class, the only thing I didn't like was that the class did not have an actual textbook for the class, and if you didn't write down everything the teacher says, you have nothing to study off of. Overall wonderful teacher and full of spunk

Taylor is awesome! She is vey knowledgeable and if you go to office hours she is super helpful! As long as you go to class and participate in the discussion forums you will be fine.

Dr. Taylor is my favorite professor. She is so funny and I love her. She has a great sense of humor and can make the lecture really fun and interesting. Dr. Taylor was seriously so great. Whatever class you take with her I'm sure is gonna be great.

I'm not sure why Dr. Taylor has such high ratings. She can be extremely immature and rude to students in the class who ask questions that might prove something she states as wrong, and a surprising number of facts she gave out were factually incorrect. Go to class every day because on the tests you don't get tested on the main concepts, you get tested on very specific examples that were given in class. Bio 123 is a great class the first couple weeks, but gets super boring after that. And you have a video project with no time to actually do it, polylearn quizzes due after every lecture, and discussion forums you have to post a lot on not the "every few days" like they tell you in class because otherwise you'll get an F on those.

The person who wrote a poor review for Dr. Taylor is just mad that they got a B! Dr. Taylor is a fabulous teacher and so easy to listen to. She deserves a very high polyrating FOR SURE. Regarding the class, there was a lot of busy work (a constant discussion forum and weekly quizzes) that really didn't amount to anything. The busy work isn't heavily weighted and you really can't get an A in the class unless you do ALL of the work AND get A's on at least 2 of the midterms/final. I learned so much from this class and it's the best B2 without a lab hands down. Take VICIOUS notes because the material they test on is not the powerpoints, but the material about the powerpoints. It's the only way you'll get an A. Also, no textbook, just a chapter book (1 chapter a week). Highly recommend!!

A seriously interesting course. She's obviously very into the subject and is very engaging when lecturing. You don't really need the book even though its interesting. The only outside work you have is watching videos or listening to podcasts and taking quizzes on polylearn. Even though they've been teaching this course forever the tests are pretty poorly written so don't afraid to ask what exactly they are testing with a question on the exam.

Professor Taylor is so passionate about what she teaches and it makes the class so much more fun. The class is taught only during winter quarter and it's taught with Professor Kolluru (awesome, as well). There is no textbook for the class, so really the only way to learn and pass the exams are to SHOW UP TO EVERY CLASS and TAKE DETAILED NOTES, literally everything that comes out of their mouth, just type it all down. They use PowerPoints that are posted on PolyLearn, but they are absolutely meaningless without notes because they'll put one or two words and a bunch of pictures on it. Also, they have comprehension questions that they throw in throughout the lecture that are super easy and just check to make sure you're paying attention. There's a video project that is not hard at all, fun if anything, and it doesn't take too much time or effort to get it done with a good score. As long as you attend class, pay attention in class, and take notes, you will do well. Their tests cover the Learning Objectives, which they post, so if you can answer those well enough then you can do well on the exams. I got a B in the class because I read these polyratings and thought it would be common sense, so I never put the time into my notes or into reviewing my notes. After I got back my first midterm, I realized that and from then on forward I busted my butt making sure I understood what they were saying. Also, the final is cumulative, but it is heavily waited on the last week/week and a half of content, and I personally thought it was easier than the midterms. The professors both TRULY CARE about their students, and do their best on teaching the super "sciency" stuff in an interesting, understandable way as they are aware this is just a GE for the majority of the class. Go to office hours and talk to them, they are super fun and helpful. They genuinely care about educating students about the facts behind sex and discrediting the myths, which is super helpful for all the sexually active students. -- P.S. Dr. Taylor brings her dogs to class sometimes and they're so adorable. Overall, just go to every class, be awake and actually pay attention while you're there, TRUST ME. Do the four hours in class each week and I promise you, you will hardly spend time out of class worrying about this class other than reviewing for the exams when it comes time. Take the class - it's super intriguing and totally relevant to your life.

presents athe information extremely clearly. she is very approachable in office hours. Her tests are mirror images of her lectures. She's funny and keeps you entertained during class, adding many "fun facts" just for bio nerds and people in general. very good teacher. she knows her stuff. I will continue to take her classes. and reccomend her above others.

Taylor means well and does make class interesting, but is always going off on these strange tangents, which I can never follow...definitely take the SWS. It really helps you figure out what she is going to test on, because I never had a clue.

Excellent teacher, teaches with Dr. Himelblau. Very interesting lectures! I loved learning about myocardial infarctions, honey bees, and urinary systems. My friends often got to hear what I learned from her lectures. There are multiple midterms, they are valid, but study a lot. Watch out for the lab, it will get you!

Dr. taylor taught bio 162 with Dr. Himelblau, and though i thought she was a very good teacher, she was a bit unorganized compared to dr. himelblau. but besides that, i really liked her lectures. She always had interesting examples to back up what she was teaching, and she was very enthusiastic. i plan on taking more of her classes.

I love Dr. Taylor! She is hilarious and gives interesting lectures. She tries to supplement the material from the book with interesting anecdotes and facts. Mastering Biology is helpful, but don't expect the tests to draw directly from it. Going to office hours is helpful - make sure she knows you by name by the end of the quarter! Even if that means simply asking her about her dog, Cosmo, or rattlesnakes. Although participation isn't part of your grade, she might bump you up if you're borderline and she knows who you are. But office hours aren't everything - studystudystudy for this class!

Dr. Taylor is overrated. Her lectures are fun and interesting, but a lot of her test questions are tricky. Study the powerpoints and notes, and skim the book if you have to, but be careful because the book goes into more detail than she does and it can trip you up on her exams sometimes. You will over-think a lot of the questions when really, she's just looking for what she said in class. It's actually pretty unfair because sometimes the answer that you read in the book is not the answer she was looking for and then you get it wrong... She can also be quite condescending in office hours. And don't bother trying to reason with her because you will lose. Other than that, the class is fair. She gives you weekly objectives, which are very helpful, and she uses a lot of interesting examples in class that help you remember concepts.

Taylor is great. She presents confusing course material in a simple and easy to understand way. I never would have understood a single topic reading it from the textbook, but she clarified it so well, especially in office hours. Do the reading and homework and study hard (lecture and objectives) and you'll do just fine.

Not too much homework, exams are straightforward. She gladly meets with students to go over topics, gives great study advice and bases her exams on Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning (woo!). I took this class over summer and we had a great class - small size with a lot of chill people. Dr. Taylor is one of the best professors I've had at Poly. She's really knowledgeable, head over heels in love with biology and has a great sense of humor. Super helpful in office hours and fun to talk to overall. If you like animals more than plants, Taylor is the professor to take for 162. She makes plants interesting but leans toward teaching about animals a bit more. Fun class, learned a lot - she has crazy examples that are very memorable. Exams are straight forward

Dr. Taylor is one of the best professors around! She truly has the student's best interest at heart and is very easy to talk to in office hours. The class is definitely one of the more difficult ones that I have taken, but I still highly recommend taking Dr. taylor.

Amazing professor! I will definitely take her endocrinology class if possible! She is super good at explaining confusing concepts and always willing to answer questions. Her class is super fair and her tests are also quite fair! She clearly wants her students to succeed and is the best bio lecturer I have had so far at cp!

The animal portion of this class was incredibly interesting and Dr. Taylor made for an excellent and captivating professor. She posted slides of her lectures before she lectured on them so that students could print them out and take notes on them or take notes on their tablet (what I did). All tests (two exams and one final) were from the learning objectives or what was taught in lecture. I recommend reading the book while following the learning objectives so you don't stress out over material you don't need to learn. She is super helpful during office hours, but make sure you go right away rather than wait for right before a test because her office hours get too crowded to be helpful. There were no quizzes in this lecture, most likely because there were 300+ students in it. Lab was worth around 45% of the total grade so that will factor in if you do poorly on an exam other than the final.

One of the best lecturers I've had! It's clear she cares about her students and the information She presented the material in a clear and engaging way and always knew how to answer questions. It's clear she knows her subject AND was able to convey it in an understandable way to her students. Her learning catalytic questions were very helpful and engaging. I actually enjoyed myself while in this class! She is so nice and approachable in office hours as well! Overall awesome teacher and cool person I want to be her friend! 11/10 recommend

Dr. Taylor is an awesome professor! She is so smart and so good at explaining the difficult topics in Bio 162. She is so helpful at office hours and always is happy to answer questions. Her tests are difficult, but she teaches the information very well. Take this class!

Dr. Taylor is amazing!!! She presents material in a way that is so easy to understand and is so knowledgeable about the topics she is lecturing on. Definitely go to her office hours before tests, she will give you good, useful info!!!

Dr. Taylor is great! Her slides don't contain any text, just images which took some time and she writes on the board--which took some time getting used to for this type of class. However, I ended up really liking this style because what she wrote on the board ended up being a very helpful study guide instead of having to sift through countless powerpoint slides. She's also very funny and does a great job at keeping the class engaged during lecture. Her tests are fair, but tough. However, the online reading quizzes and in-class questions are pretty comparable to the questions you will encounter on the midterms (which are multiple choice). 5 points extra credit for donating blood. I also really appreciated that she used an online in-class polling system that was free to use, instead of requiring an iclicker and she also did not require us to purchase mastering A&P--gotta love a professor who is sensitive to how expensive it is to be a student.

I had Dr. Taylor for both lecture and lab and thought she was extremely cool!!She lays out the info organized and precise, she gives group tests, including the final, and she keeps lecture interesting. There's a lot of info, so study soon, but I would definitely take her again!

No professor gives notes as clearly as Prof. Taylor does. She is one of the best professors we have on campus and if I could only learn material for the rest of my education at Poly I would wish she would be the professor. Absolutely hilarious. She keeps the class moving at a high energy steady pace, and her sense of when the class is struggling is right on. Definitely the type of professor that you'd want to go to office hours...for two reasons: 1. to clarify things from lecture 2. just to hang out and talk about Zoo because she is so awesome. Her class puts up a good fight...so there is nothing "tres simple" about it. But it isn't extremely hard. She does quizzes and extra credit so you can have some leg room when it comes to your grades. Make sure to attend all classes...her tests are based from her lectures not the book!

Dr. Taylor is so cool! She keeps class moving quickly and makes it soo interesting! I loved going to her class, she has very well organized note and she writes EVERYTHING you need to know for the test out on the blackboard each lecture. Exams arent that hard, pretty straight forward, and typically had 80% averages. I would use a priority to get Taylor!

The book is only necessary for the diagrams. KNOW THE A.D.A.M. STUFF!!! It's a computer program that you study the different systems on. The lab tests have crazy views from it. Overall this class was enjoyable but still challenging. Take good notes in class, and make sure to write down little comments that she makes and doesn't always write down. Sometimes she will put stuff she said about diseases or disorders on the exams. She is a really great lecturer and it was only at the end that she threw out political agenda stuff but she was honest in saying that she was "standing on her soap box".

Easily the best teacher I've ever had. She is amazing! She is such an enthusiastic teacher which helps keep you engaged during those long lectures. She really knows her stuff and is always willing to help during office hours and after class. I've taken her for Bio 162 as well, and I would take other classes with her if I needed them and they wouldn't set back my grad date. She rocks! Highly recommend taking any class from her!

Dr. Taylor is an outstanding professor! Not only is she ridiculously knowledgeable, but she can present seemingly impossible material incredibly well! You get extra credit for donating blood and on a few occasions, she gives bonus points just for coming to class. If you seem to be working hard and showing up to class she\'ll round your grade up. I had an 88% and she gave me an A-. She\'s super funny! She writes down everything you need to know for exams on the board. Wow! Doesn\'t get better than that.

Dr. Taylor was a very good professor. She was very knowledgeable and made the class really interesting. She always had cool pics or diseases to show us at the end of class which made the 5 week summer course go a lot faster! She does talk really fast, so you have to make sure that you listen closely and ask questions when you are confused because most of the time the rest of the class missed it too! Also, make sure you study like crazy for the exams and KNOW THE CONCEPTS! Her tests are all multiple choice but they are pretty difficult still. Make sure you are really comfortable with the physiology aspect and not so much the anatomy aspect for her lecture. Overall, it was a good class and I learned a lot. I just don\'t recommend taking it in the summer because its really tough to have a midterm almost every week!

Dr. Taylor is the best! She keeps lecture interesting and structures her lectures extremely well, so even though she may be presenting a lot of material you are able to absorb most of it. Great class overall, but expect to put in a decent amount of work.

TAYLOR IS AWESOME. She presents the material (which can be quite confusing) in a very clear way to her students. She writes her notes on the board and elaborates on everything in her lecture. Go to her office hours if you don't understand something and she will work with you until you understand it. I had a hard time with this class at the beginning, but I realized I wasn't studying the right way. After I did poorly on the first lecture exam, I started going to office hours and rereading my notes everyday--even if it was just for a couple minutes at a time. Take this class with her and you will not regret it! She gives tons of extra credit and is always willing to help you out!

This was an interesting class as Dr. Taylor teaches it in a group-based learning/flipped classroom manner. There is little to no lecture, with almost all of the concept learning done outside of the classroom. Class time is mainly spent applying those previously learned concepts to human case studies. It is also worth mentioning that this class is based on human endocrinology, with a large emphasis on reproductive endocrinology. With all of this said, I would highly recommend taking Dr. Taylor's version of BIO 407. It does take self-discipline to do a lot of the learning on your own, but it is worth it as this class offers a different take on learning human endocrinology.

Dr. Taylor is hands down the best professor I have had at Poly. I have taken two classes with her and am not disappointed. She is very engaging, enthusiastic, all over an amazing professor. Her tests are challenging and she does expect a lot out of her students, but she goes above and beyond to make sure her students are able to succeed. She is great in office hours, after class, in lab. She constantly gives you hints about what will be on the tests and always outlines exactly what she expects. Definitely take her if you get the chance!

My name is Mason Dubois and I absolutely love Dr. Taylor. Plus she is sooooo hot!! Definitely my favorite professor. I also love starring at her!