Nakamura, Royden  

The lectures are very difficult to understand and boring. He losses you in his lectures. His tests are very difficult, but one bright thing is that he curbs the test so you don't do that bad in his class.

Lectures didn't really follow any structured format, and rarely did they coincide with material in the textbook. Grade is based on 2 midterms and a final, and are all multiple choice. good luck doing well on them however, because, for the most part, they don't test on what is lectured or read in the book.

You WILL sleep through his lectures! They are BOREING. I like biology, but I didn't enjoy this class. The tests are multiple choice, but are incredibally hard and confusing. I never would have believed that a multiple choice test could be so hard. I did study and do the suggested reading, but I still had a hard time.

This teacher was quite confusing and he would never focus you in a direction for the tests. They were multiple choice and extremely hard. But if you do bad on the first test, don't get too discouraged b/c the sections get easier.

THIS IS THE WORST TEACHER EVER. I DID NOT LEARN ONE THINK. THIS CLASS IS SO POINTLESS AND THE BOOK IS $32259887593458437857483. I DID NOT READ THE BOOK ONCE. I ONLY GOT THE GRADE I DID BECAUSE OF MY PRIOR KNOWLEDGE OF BIOLOGY. I LEARNED MORE IN THE LAB THAN I DID AT HIS LECTURES. HE IS SO SO BORING. IT WAS PAINFUL GOING TO CLASS. HE DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO TEACH. EVEN IF YOU TRY TO FOLLOW HIM HE CONFUSES YOU BY TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING COMPLETELY OFF THE SUBJECT.

he failed

this guy's an alright instructor. he pretty much tells you to read the whole book and know what the midterm is on. the whole key to this class is do very well on the first midterm. it was the hardest test, and i got c's on the final and 2nd midterm and still ended up with an A in the class. also, if you want him to answer a question in class, you practically have to hurl sharp objects at his face and hope that one hits, otherwise he'll never see your raised arm. definitely difficult teacher.

Nakamura was the absolute worst teacher that i have dealt with at poly. None of his lectures correspond with the tests and nothing out of the book was on the test. He pulled the questions out of his butt. DO NOT TAKE HIM!!!!

Take anyone else but him. He cannot answer questions and is not clear in his presentation of the course material. His tests are horrible and many of the questions do no correspond with the material from class or the book. This is suppose to be general biology, but he does not understand that!

I had him for lab of the Bio 111 requirement. Let me tell you: this was a difficult lab. He didn't seem to care to teach us stuff that would be on the quiz but instead about stuff that he would teach his lecture class. I didn't have his lecture so it really didn't benefit me at all. Find another lab professor when you take this class!

he was the worse teacher ever!!!! he is not clear in his lectures, he gives you no idea what is going to be on the exam and when you ask him, that is, if he happens to see your hand raised forever, he will not give you a clear answer. his notes are not organized and he doesn't really care if the students are actually understanding the material. i read the book and went over my notes thoroughly but still failed every single midterm and the final but his grading scale is so jacked cuz in my class an average of 54% on the midterm meant a high C, i ended up with a C in the class. i honestly would not take this for the life of me, take it at a jc or take knable especially for a GE requirment. You will hate your quarter if you take him, he's bad news!!!!!!!!

THIS GUY SUCKS! Do not take him!!!! Take Knable!!! I literally studied for days and went to every lecture and read the book and still failed his first midterm. I dropped the class because I need to keep my GPA up, and this guy is insane. To earn a C- on the first midterm you need to get a 43%, and that seemed impossible.

Let me just say this: the first test average was a 49.....%. He claims the "normal" averages of his tests are a 55%. How depressing is that!?! I think I actually got a B+ or higher in the class, but taking it credit/no credit really helped me to not stress about it. He makes you read the freakin book, lectures about one thing and tests about another thing. I had to study my ass off to get a 76% on the second test, which was probably one of the highest grades that time! Take the other Bio teachers, not him if you don't like Biology.

this man knows nothing. i am surprised he is still teaching here. DO NOT TAKE HIM. i dont have to go into details. it is the hardest class i have ever taken. dont let anyone else tell you otherwise. they dot know what they are talking about. i would be very afraid if you have him.

AHHHHHHH!!! THIS MAN IS AN IDIOT. GET SCARED NOW IF YOU HAVE HIM. AHHHHHHHHHH!

This guy was horrible!!! Not only was he a total jerk, but none of his information was presented clearly! His Tests were impossible. The class average of our first test was a 52%. What does that say about him??? Dont take this class! You will not get anything better than a C, and lucky if you get that

he assigned a bunch of reading, and so i studied super hard for the first midterm and failed it (even after the curve), but it was because i mostly studied the book and not the lecture notes. anyway, before the next midterm i went to talk to him during his office hours, and he pretty much told me which concepts i should concentrate on. even though i took the lecture notes, i didn't understand any of them. so during his office hours, i asked him to explain them to me until i understood each concept. that really helped me. if you just study the class notes and handouts you should do fine, but it's important to understand those notes. the text is more of a supplement to the class notes, and you should only go over the parts that coincide with the lectures. after i figured this out, i got a B and an A on the 2nd midterm and final and ended up with a B in the class. his test averages are something like 48%, so you really gotta depend on the curve to get a good grade.

AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!! He was absolutely one of the WORST teachers I have ever had!! DO NOT TAKE HIM!! I am serious! If you have hime next quarter, drop the class and take it another quarter. I pulled through with a C+, but I have no idea how! He lectures off his over-head sheets and has a million diagrams of things and he says they won't be on the tests, but trust me, they will! It's practically impossible to study and prepare for his tests because there is so much information, and he doesn't really cover much of anything from the book. his lectures are so scattered and don't really make much sense, but if you try to ask a question, he just kind of speaks, but never really makes a point, so you're almost more confused than before. MY class averaged like 49% on the first test, so my 36% was luckily a D!! I have no idea how the department has not fired him yet when his classes are doing to poorly. At least he curves a lot. Anyways, TAKE SOMEONE ELSE for bio! Trust me, you'll regret it if you don't!

I took this class in the fall of 2001, and it was the easiest class i had that quarter, being that i probably spent a total of 3 hours for the quarter studying for that class. He has 3 tests, all non cumlative, all worth the same amout of points. He assigned a lot of reading, but i never did it, i just glanced over it. His lectures are boring and you will probably sleep through them. He goes over the same diagrams for repeated lectures. The first test average for the class was like 49%, and like 62% for the second. The tests are multiple choice and the questions are fairly specific, even though he says he really wants you to understand the concepts. If you took biology in high school and remember some of it, this instructor will be easy becuase you can rely on that knowledge to carry you through, and he gives huge curves. His grading system is that the class average is a C, so if your above, your in A and B range adn below is obviously D and F range. If you slept through your high school biology class or didn't take one, this professor will be tough, since it seems to me like the information is kind of advanced compared to other professors.

If your are planning to enroll in this course I would highly recommend not to take this professor unless you don't mind being completely lost on this subject. His lecture consists of endless overhead diagrams which he speeds through so you don't have enough time to copy down the information. There is a fair amount of reading required for the class but it will prove to be helpful since his lectures are not. As far as his exams, there are two midterms and a final exam. His tests are ridiculously hard and he admits to makiong his tests "challenging". The average for all his tests are about 50%, so basically, most students receive F's. So if you are wise do not take Professor Nakamura for this class.

Well for me I tend to agree with most of the reviews that were posted before me. But I disagree with the issue that studying the book and not the lecture notes is fruitless. I became frustrated with his teaching style so I just decided to skip the lecture and do the reading and that worked great for me. Also, doing the actual lab work helped a great deal with the class (although for me it was easy to pay attention in the lab since our lab instructor made it easy: she was cute as a bunny)...

This class was SO hard. I read all the chapters, went to every single lecture (except one), and studied my ass off for the tests, and I still managed only a C+, although I have no idea how I even pulled that one off. Nakamura can't seem to present the material in an organized manner, which makes it hard to learn the stuff you need to know. I got a 40% on the first midterm, and a 41% on the second, and I have no idea how I did on the final. If you do have him, I'd reccommend going into his office hours, and explaining the difficulties you're having understanding his lectures. I think he appreciates and takes into consideration the amount of effort that students put into their grade outside of the classroom as well.

This professor was a decent lab instructor. He gives 4 25 point quizzes which are really hard. He doesn't pass out any study guides like other teachers and his lectures are very hard to stay awake for. All and all I would try to avoid this instructor, but if you have to take him it wont be the end of the world.

By far one of the worst teachers I have ever had. If you must take this teacher I recommend you not go to class, his lecture notes are useless and just make you more confused come test day. He is disorganized, quiet (you will have trouble hearing from the back of class), and his notes look like scribbling on the overhead (not that they do you any good anyways). The lab better prepares you for his tests unless you are unfortunate enough to also have him as a lab teacher. I can not recommend this class, I suggest another teacher or waiting a quarter. Do not take this teacher.

Get out ASAP!!!

This lecture was so boring that it was hard to stay awake. He does not do a good job of connecting relevent test material to his lecture. He rambles a lot about stuff you don't even need to know. So basically, you need to completely rely on the text because your lecture notes are useless. His three tests are ridiculously hard, but he does grade on a curve. Overall, I do not recommend taking this professor.

Well, this was probably the most ridiculous class I've ever taken. Nakamura's lectures were extemely boring. It didn't help that the class was at 8 in the morning in a dark lecture hall, and he droned on and on in a monotone voice. I probably only went to about a third of the classes (realizing that I'd rather sleep in my bed than in class). I studied for about a total of six hours the whole quarter-two hours the night before each test. Those were the only times I opened the ridiculously expensive book. The first test i got a 59 percent, and the second one I got a 62 percent. These were pretty much right on the curves. I have no idea what I got on the third test, but I know I couldn't have done that well on it, and I still got a B in the class. I did get a B in the lab portion of the grade, which is worth 25 percent of the grade. My lab instructor was a grad student named Collin Johnson, and he was awesome. I went to every single lab, even though it was on friday afternoon, because I wanted to do the experiments and because I actually was learning something. Get him if you can. And even though Nakamura sucks goat balls, if you get him its not the end of the world, especially if you take the course redit/no credit.

THIS IS THE MOST BORING AND WORST CLASS I HAVE EVER TAKEN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS. I WOULD RATHER SHOOT MYSELF IN THE FACE THEN GO TO HIS LECTURES!

uhhh....this was the hardest class I have ever taken. I think he sucks period stains.

PLEASE, WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS!!! IT WOULD BE YOUR WORST DECISION AT CAL POLY! I WOULD RECOMMEND KNABLE, HE CAN TEACH, WHEREAS NAKAMURA JUST STANDS THERE AND POINTS HIS RULER TO THE BOARD. THE LECTURES DO NOT CORRESPOND WITH THE LABS, AND NOT A WORD OF THE LECTURE MAKES SENSE. DO YOURSELF A FAVOR, AND FIND ANOTHER TEACHER!!!!

DO NOT TAKE THIS TEACHER!! This is a 100 level course and his tests are given as if it were a 300 level course. The test averages are below 55% ever. The material covered has nothing to do with the labs. Most of it is all repetative graphs and overheads. He is not clear at all, and tests are very hard. Find another teacher if you want to pass the class.

This was by far the worst teacher I have ever had. He only teaches by pointing at transparencies that he puts up on the screen that make no sense and actually confuses you more. The average for the midterms in the class are only around a 50% and he believes that he is doing a good job teaching. Do not take him as a teacher!

Dr Nakamura is the worst teacher I've had this year. I'll admit that he definitely knows what he is talking about, but he sucks at teaching. Everyday in class, he would bust out a bunch of overheads and just talk forever. He never interacted with the students, never asked if we understood all the BS he was covering, and I found that I was lost in his class no matter how hard I tried to stay awake.

And the award for worst teacher in the world goes to... "Professor Nakamura"!!!! I went to class on the days of the exams and occassionally the lecture before the class. not only is the teacher retarded, but hes also RETARDED! he lacks the ability to teach. he uses overheads like 100% of the time. and they are like homemade projects with scribbling and small print that an eagle couldnt even read from the first row. the tests were impossible. i didnt even find out what i got on the tests considering i never went to class. however, i did pass somehow. the best thing about the class was seeing what the pretty girls were wearing. do not take this class. you will cry with boredom.

RUN WHILE YOU STILL CAN!!! I failed every test and got a D in lab...yeah i turned out with an A after the curve but this class ruined my life for 10 weeks. the strees alone isnt worth the A. Take someone else if at all possible.

I don't know what everyone is bitching about. Sure this class is a stupid, boring waste of time, but hey, welcome to Cal Poly. Just don't work too hard; Just becuse you get a bunch of 60% grades dosen't mean you don't have an A. The only thing that really bothered me is how random and uneven the tests are. On our second midterm, there were about 6 questions about one chemical process, while two entire chapters (important chapters) were completely ommmited. Easy class; Just don't expect to learn anything.

NO MORE SLIDES PLEASE! everything he shows you is on an overhead, which means any time you want to study something you have to have the internet with you so you can look everything up on blackboard. the class is boring, and he seems to think that chemistry should be a part of it, even though it's a biology class. go in and talk to him in you're having problems, he understands that people have troubles with this class, especially if you're only taking it for a GE and not a support.

This teachers's lctures were all over the place. I wanted to fall asleep. And then when we got our tests back and the average was a 50%, he thought it was something wring with us. He is nice and very helpful, but one of those teachers you wished you never took a class from.

aside from his somewhat questionable fascination with LSD, this class was a bore and of no use. i got a better grade on the second exam after i stopped going to class than on the first exam when i went each time. the best thing i got out of the class? a fun little voodoo doll i made of him, which brought much joy during periods of frustration while studying for his exams.

Nakamura is not as bad as everyone makes him out to be. His lectures are boring, but if you want a good grade you need to listen to them. His test are hard but study and go to office hours. In a class of like 100 I was one of like 10 students who actually went in to office hours and my grade shows it. If you don't understand ask questions because that's the only way it will get answered. If you need/have to take this class, do freak out you'll be fine. But if its a choice, I wouldn't recommend it.

This class is impossible....I am very good in Biology and a Biology major and taking 111 would be a cake walk. With any other teacher this would have. But unfortunatly this class was soooo hard for me and basically everyone in the entire class. He told us the first day that everyone fails the tests which was true, everyone did. The average was a 54% which was a little below his average of 64%. He says the first day that he doesnt want to make the tests easier because he thinks that everyone will slack off. The only good thing is that he cuves every test which is great but he wont tell you what the curve is let alone your grade no matter how much you ask him. This class is not worth the stress that you have to go through!! I think this class just about knocked off about 3 years of the end of my life because it was so stressful.

going to class is not necessary...everything from his lectures is up on blackboard...multiple choice tests with emphasis on the diagrams, he says you dont need to know specific #s and sequence, but he does actually asks very specific questions about such things on his midterms. Tests are majorly curved which is a big plus since class average on midterms is around 48%

I added BIO because it was open and never took a look at polyratings. Really the teacher isn't all that bad; yes he's boring and not very exciting, but what are you really expecting from bio? I probably could have gotten the A if I had really read the book and studied. I ended up just reading the blackboard materials and skimming the chapters since I'm really bad about planning my reading schedule for heavy reading classes like this one. This is just one of those classes where you really just need to read the material and not rely on the teacher to lecture on everything.

Even though I got an A, it was a terrible class. I dreaded waking up in the morning on Tuesdays and Thursdays because I knew I had to go to his class at 8am. All he does all hour is show transparencies and he thinks that you are going waste all your paper and ink printing them off. He lectures have nothing to do with really anything. I hated it and wanted to leave like half of the class did every day. Actually read the textbook he assigns...just try not to fall asleep in the process. The class average on tests was a 30% and he thought that it was great. You don't know your grade in the class because he curves it until you get in on mycalpoly. Stay away from this teacher if you can...and if you are stuck with him...good luck! You are going to need it!

OK, I took the 8-9:30am class. So basically you go there, sit down, the teacher comes in, he turns the lights off, and on comes the projector. Its too easy to fall asleep in a dark room, durring borring leactures, early in the morning. He does let you out early a lot. But the class is not easy, interesting, or good in any way. Dont do it.

This class was early in the morning and was boring. He uses overheads for everything. They were somewhat helpful if you printed them off so then you can write notes on them but it is also a waste of ink. Read the book and pay attenion to details because they will be on the test. He has two midterms and a final. Your lab grade also gets figured in. He grades on a curve but won't tell you that until after the first test. You don't really have to go to class to pass but would recommend going occasionally.

Aweful teacher, going to class doesnt help you much, reading the book doesnt help you much. I honestly though I failed this class, he curves the class a ton but he never tells you how much. I scored 5% below average on the first 2 midterms and ended up with a C. The average for his midterms is 40%-50%. I had this class 9-10 in the morning and people came in late daily, i dont mean 1 or 2 people, i mean 10-15. terrible teacher, no one cares about the class because he makes it impossible to pass the tests. some teachers should be fired, he is one of them.

This class was really wierd in the sense that the average grade on exams is about 40-50 and you don't know your grade until the VERY end. I went to his office hours a lot which helped! I strongly recommend going because he was actually really nice. Study EVERYTHING for the exams. I took notes on the chapters and studdied that. I struggled to get a C+. Lab helps you boost your grade which is always nice. :) Avoid this class if you can, but follow my advice if you have to take it.

Nakamura happens to be one of the worst teachers I have ever had. He uses overheads from other classes he's tought and adds his own little touches with a pen which come out looking like they were drawn by a seizure victim. The averages on his tests are in the 50-60 range and he tells you this when you first come in to his class. You'd think he would've gotten the picture that he hasn't taught his students much if they're all failing his tests. Luckily, he curves and that is why I got an A. But don't rely on his lectures if you have to take him...go if you want a nice, cool, dark place to take a nap...but not for the lectures. READ THE BOOK!! Do that and you should score above the average on his tests. And even if you don't go to the lecture, you should still take a look at his 2 year old art project like overheads on blackboard, sometimes they'll be visuals on the test. These are tips if you have to have him...but try to get another prof if possible.

OH Where to start . . .First of all he should not be called a teacher becasue he does not teach. If you take expect to have to teach yourself. His lectures have nothing to do with what is on the test and he basically picks insignificant topics surprises you with them on the test. He does answer your questions and does not give a study and doen NOT prepare you for test. The class average on our test was around a 46%. He was upset because he wanted the average to be around a 50%, What kind of teacher hopes for a 50%?????

Horrible teacher. You won't learn anything by going to class. He puts all his notes on blackboard. I did far better than a bunch of people I know who went to class almost every day. You might want to go every now and then to see what he's talking about. He curves the tests because that averages ar always around the 50% range. He was proud of a 52% average. I knew alot regarding basic biology so I tutored people with other teahers yet i still got a C in this class. DO NOT take Nakamura if you have the choice.

He seems like a nice guy but has no idea how to teach. It's really sad when a teacher is proud of his class for getting a 56% average on a test! His slides are basically chicken-scratch that he most of the time can't even read. When you can hear him, he tends to talk to the wall, he talks about the most insignificant things. His tests are based on the captions in the books and every other random fact he could find. The only good thing about the class is that he curves like crazy so you could fail every test and still possibly end up with an A.

Dr. Nakamura is really a very nice person, but he's not the best professor I've had. I felt like I didn't get much out of his class. I learned a lot more from my labs and was able to use information that I had previously learned in high school biology in order to pass the tests. It was hard for me to follow the concepts in class that I hadn't learned before. Both Dr. Nakamura and the text book seemed to discuss the topics inadequately and didn't seem to help much in terms of teaching the subject matter. I was hoping to pass the class with a C and not have to take it again, so it was pure luck that I got a B. Apparently I was just a lucky guesser on my exams (and my lab grade REALLY helped, so make sure you go to all of your labs and try to get the highest grade you possibly can in the lab, it's really not that hard).

DO NOT TAKE 111 WITH THIS PROFESSOR. He is HORRIBLE. He only uses PowerPoint to teach often gets himself lost in his own lectures. He talks very passionately about scientists and spends a lot of class time on them and they're not even on any test. The class is curved after the entire quarter is over and after your lab grade is added in. If you end up in his class, take the workshop/SI class, it will help a lot. I probably would have failed without it.

DO NOT... i repeat... DO NOT take Nakamura! avoid his class at all costs! his tests are unfair and aren't on anything we went over in class. i ended up with a B, but only because the lab saved my grade. he curves the class by at least 20%. on our first exam, the class average was a 50% and he was pleased with it. honestly, what kind of a teacher shoots for a 50%? reading the book doesn't help much either. if you do end up taking this class, go to the SWS that goes along with it, otherwise you won't learn anything!

Prof Nakamura is a smart guy that knows a lot about Biology but he didnt present it in a way that was understandable to the class. I had it at 8 in the morning so it was a struggle to stay awake. My notes were of no relevance because he was hard to follow at times. The midterms were all from the book so i would suggest to go over the concepts in that. He curves the class and that along with lab saved me. I got a D and F on the first 2 midterms but still managed to get a B-. If you cant get any other class i'd say go for it, but only take it if theres no other option.

Professor Nakamura is a great professor. I don't understand why other people are whining about him. He was the best professor I had this quarter. He is really passionate about science and I loved watching as he smiled and hand gestured and made little jokes about biology. He really does know his stuff. Reading the book obviously will help you do well on the tests because they are difficult. Why would you buy the book and not read it huh? Just like any big lecture, there is not going to be lots of one on one time with you and the professor so pay attention in lab and take the SWS. Do not be afraid to take this professor. He is really nice and enjoyable.

i got a B on both midterms, and a C on the final and he gives me a C. his lectures consist of complicated pages of notes and diagrams that he puts on the overhead that are impossible to understand/follow. tests are all multiple choice- average scores were in the 50-60 range (60 % being a "good" score and getting you a B). no hw or anything...just gotta be able to guess well on a multiple choice test and get half of them. oh ya, i learned nothing from this class.

Ok, I'll explain what everyone is "bitching" about. This professor is by far the worst I have ever had. His powerpoint slides are lazy and absolutely pointless. He just photocopies diagrams that make no sense from ancient textbooks and doesn't explain them. He also scribbles stuff that makes sense to him but no one else. He is so quiet when he lectures that any time someone coughs I miss a whole section. The tests are completely unfair as they all have like 5 multiple choice options which include, all, none, or both a and c. He claims that his lectures coincide directly with the test, but nothing is on it that he discusses in class. I learned more from reading the book on my own than from him.

If you're not a fan of Biology, I suggest taking this course Credit/No Credit. Nakamura does at least generously curve tests, so I ended up passing the class with my 3 test grades falling between 50-55%. Lecture material isn't objective. He uses powerpoint slides but it's difficult to understand exactly what he's saying (especially when the slides are just pictures, which tend to be a majority of them). I attended half the lectures, didn't end up with many in class notes, so my learning came mostly from reading the book (which i skimmed over the chapters of). All that matters is that I passed for the class & thankful I'm done with bio.

He's a nice guy and he does know his stuff. However, do not take him for a general education class for non majors. His lectures are very disorganized. He is very unclear as to what he expects his students to study. He provides no study guides and doesn't review before exams. Most exams contain little to no information from the lectures and are about 70% from the book and 20% stuff not mentioned. To get a high percentage on tests you have to be an amazing guesser. His philosiphy of not wanted to give "feel good tests" results in class averages of 50% and below. Unless you have prior experence and don't mind teaching yourself, I would highly recomind finding anyone other than this man to take.

Royden Nakamura: Lowering Cal Poly's GPA one student at a time. To understand why I didn't enjoy this class you must first understand his testing and evaluation technique. He claims he doesn't believe in "feel good tests." As a result, the class average never was about 55%. His tests include lecture material and material from the book, which would be fine except that they also included material covered in neither. His lectures follow a power point but fail to go into the depth needed for his tests and the book does little to help fix this gap. Even with prior biology experience it is still near impossible to attain above a 70% on his tests. His wide array of subject material and extensive information on his tests reflects how out of touch of his students he really is. Forcing students to fail doesn't teach them anything. Subsequently, the majority of my class felt helpless and gave up on studying and learning anything because, for this class, it really doesn't help. Going to the lectures wont prepare you for the tests, reading the book wont prepare you for his tests, studying wont prepare you for his tests. To do well in this class you have to be lucky and a good guesser. I don't know where Cal Poly is finding this general education teachers but it's embarrassing. Take Non-Major Biology at Cuesta. You'll save money and you'll learn something. The general education teachers there are passionate. They actually care about making the topics learned relevant. Their motives are to educate students and make them better consumers. Unlike Nakamura who fails miserably.

wtf...i studied for one of his midterms like crazy and got a 17/100!! his lectures are horrible. powerpoints aare filled with hand drawn pictures that are not legible and HE WRITES IN ALL CAPS FOR EVERYTHING. don't remember if he did in the midterms but on the final, EVERYTHING WAS IN CAPS. straining on the eyes if you ask me. i would say go with another teacher. save yourself the trouble and the your GPA.

This teacher is notoriously horrible. His lectures are super boring and completly disorganized. He does curve his tests about 20 points, but the class still sucks. His tests are extremely detailed and cover about 10 chapters. Don't bother going in to office hours. He is extremely impersonal and can't explain a concept to save his life. Why he is a professor is beyond me. I am just glad to be done with it.

STOP! I beg you to seriously reconsider taking this teacher! You will not learn anything, and you will not get a good grade. Nakamura does not know how to teach. He reads of slides that you can get online, but they wont be on the test. He assigns readings from the text book, but the too will not be on the test. He does not provide a study guide and is extremely unclear about what will be on his tests. There's not real way of knowing what surprises the tests will contain, and thus no way to prepare for them. He curves them generously because otherwise his class average would be an F. In the end nearly everyone will receive a C. This class is a waste of your money and your time, you'll leave it knowing less about Biology. CalPoly needs to evaluate him, he's a terrible teacher.

This is a horrible teacher!!!! i got a b+ and i still think he is the worst teacher at cal poly that i have ever encountered. He blabs on and on while reading off slides for an hour. The room is completely dark so you cannot take note and his slides are just pictures. He has no idea what he is talking about and the tests are on material that he never talked about and was never in the book! the averages for most of the tests were about 56% because he doesn't believe in "feel good" tests. apparently he doesn't believe in testing students on what they're supposed to have learned either. He curves which is good so you're basically tested on how much better you are than everyone else not what you know. If i can stop one person from taking this class than i will be happy.

There are 3 midterms in this class and your entire grade is based on these tests. His tests are extremely hard and it is very likely that no one will receive A's on the tests, but I'm sure a lot of people got A's in the class. Because he does not curve each individual test, rather the entire class, you have absolutely no idea what you are getting in the class. After getting test scores below the average on almost every test he gave (the averages ranged from a 52% to a 66% for the entire class), I ended up with a C in the class which makes no sense to be but I guess my lab grade saved me. Im not ragging on this guy because I got a C, but because for me as a student, I went to every single lecture taking careful notes each time, and read ALL of the material for all of the tests. So I was by no means one of the students who just showed up for the tests, I really put in time and effort for this class. The thing that is really hard about the tests is that most of the questions have 5-6 answers and many of the choices are "none of these" "all of these" or just to throw you off "two of these only" so you really need to know every single detail about everything that is covered in the book and the lecture, which is really hard because there is a lot of information and he gives no study guide. My advice to you if you have to take this professor, then go to his lectures often and his office hours, maybe that will help you out, otherwise... good luck

He is a nice guy, not great at talking loud so sometimes its hard to hear. Sit in the front of the room. He teaches well and what is in his lectures is on the test. Reading the book also helps as well, because he includes reading too. Everything he has you do makes sense. Do it. Go to class, it will help.

To be completely honest if you are taking this class as a GE requirement this probably isnt the best guy to take. He is a nice guy but his teaching method is quite difficult. You will probably get a low c,d,or f on every test but luckily the tests get curved. this class is somewhat easy to get through with a c just becuase he curves but the bottom line is its really stressful becuase you'll fail the test after trying. Try to take someone else but if you get him then dont get too stressed out when you fail the test just stay around the curve.

If you are taking this class don't even bother going to the lectures. Sign up for one of the student workshops. Prof. Nakamura is a terrible lecturer. He goes off on SO many tangents, his power points are unorganized and don't make sense, and his tests DO NOT reflect what he lectures about in class. Also he makes his tests pretty much impossible and says so. Although he curves the grades it's still frustrating to have to sit through a 50 question test which was made for you to get no better than a C.

Dont take Nakamura for bio 111 lab. He never gave us a syllabus so no one knew what anything we did was worth or how his grading worked. when someone asked him he wouldnt even answer the question. There was no point doing the labs because he didnt even collect the lab questions we were assigned. And his quizzes were tough because the questions were so specific. Just make sure you go to every lab because attendance is a big part of your lab grade.

Do not take Nakamura. He does not explain anything clearly and no one had any idea what the heck was going on in class. That being said, going to class is a waste of time: he posts his powerpoints online (which are completely unhelpful and chalked full of terrible sketches) and most of the info on the tests were from the textbook anyways. Just take detailed notes out of the textbook & skim through his powerpoints and you'll be fine. Although he does have a HUGE curve on his exams, the majority of the class still did poorly on them. If you have trouble teaching yourself out of a book, Nakamura is definitely not the professor for you.

I took Nakamura for 112, not for 111 like it seems most of the reviews for him are, but I cannot see why everone is so critical of him. For 112, his lectures seemed to be well-structured, and all his class notes were posted on Poly's blackboard site. The text book wasnt of much use, since nearly everything he tested on was from the notes. The class did, however, require quite a bit of reading from periodical sources, but that was probably one of the most interesting parts of the class. The tests, of which there were 3, were reasonable as long as you read over the notes a few times and have general knowledge of the subject manner. Plus, he does significantly curve the final grades, so you dont have to be a biology expert to do well.

RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY! This guy is a piece and a half. Now, i am not doubt his intelligence in the subject of biology because it is there, but some people can teach, and some people can't. This guy, he can't teach for jack you know what. First off he didn't write his own exams, so he always and i do mean always had mistakes on his tests. When he said "this item, you don't have to worry about, it won't be on the test," you better believe it will be on the exam. When he says, "oh this is really complicated, you won't need to know this," begin to shit your pants because you will need to know it. If you survive the lecture then good for you. If you take notes, then you probably will do good, but if your like me and snooze easy, this is not the class for you. Just avoid going to class, get the notes online, read the book and show up for the test. And if all else fails, he has an uber curve so if you think you have an F, you probably will get a B like me!

MR. MEOGY LOSE THE RAT TAIL !!!!!

This class is not hard if you can manage to stay awake in class and somehow find the gumption to show up for class every day. Tests are difficult, but they are heavily curved. Royden is a nice guy, but unfortunately has no idea how to teach. Overheads are presented from 20 years ago, and he just looks at the projection waiving his pointer at unintelligible markings. Subjects are presented completely at random. If possible avoid him. If you must take him don't worry about it. After all, most professors at Cal Poly do suck!

I was very disappointed in this class and the professor's inability to teach cohesive material clearly. All of the material in this class is covered in other classes (like BIO 111 and GEOL 102), so I learned nothing new. Thankfully Nakamura doesn't lecture for the full two hours, because the class is so boring. He points and random scribbles on overhead after overhead of senseless material that dates to his days in school (or so it seems). The material is completely random and out of order, so we have to study completely different topics for the two midterms and final (at least nothing is cumulative). He curves, and this will help you get an A...as long as you show up and try to figure out what to write down. And don't expect the textbook to help any: It is just as disorganzied as him. I don't suggest him for any class, but I think he is the only one teaching this class. Oh well.

This class is nothing but transparencies. Go to the lecture, and as soon as Nakamura enters, the lights are off and the projector is on. Questions are rarely taken. I gave up fighting my urge to nap. Going to the lectures is pretty worthless... all the information for the tests is provided on blackboard or through the readings. For the tests, you need to memorize author names and what they wrote about, which seemed a little stupid to me. He also seems pretty disorganized. Now that I'm done raggin' on Royden, I'll give a few positives: If you bother to stay later and actually talk to him, he'll actually respond. He was very accommodating of the special circumstance that a few of my fellow students and I had, and made special arrangements for us to take the final... now that's genuine class! Overall, I didn't get too much from that class that I didn't already get from high school Bio and the sustainability class I took last quarter for my major. Nakamura has the potential to be a good prof, he just needs to connect with the students and unplug the overhead projector every now and then.

he cant teach for shit and hes stupid and dumb and boring and i hate him and you all shoud hate him and i hope he gets fired and i dont like him and i think hes a jerkhead pooface Basically if you want a teacher that teachers like pooooooo take him hes a poohead

Well reading the previous comments would make you think that he has no clue whats going on, but the simple fact is that DONT TAKE THIS CLASS IF YOU ARE SOME LAZY FRESHMAN WHO WANTS TO TAKE A EASY 4 UNIT RIDE THROUGH COLLEGE. It doesnt work like that in Cal Poly anyways. Its not an easy class but you will learn alot, if you try. Nakamura is actually very passionate and knowledgable about issues of the enviornment. So what if he cant tell you EXACTLY whats thes biological make up of a fish. He knows alot of enviornmental issues and his reading assignments are related to alot of stuff he takes about in class. Hes also very understanding. He threw out alot of readings cuz they werent available in the library reserve, but he could have made us read them anyways cuz they were all in databases, like other prof I had. You will learn alot more than you expect in this class if you acutally try, isnt it the point of higher education anyways?

My situation in this class was unique. I took a course in high school (granted, 4 years ago) in AP Bio and AP Environmental science, which pretty much covered everything we discussed in this class. I suffered some major senioritis, but managed to pull some high grades in this class. TAKE THIS CLASS FOR CREDIT OR NO CREDIT!! Dont let it F up your GPA. And he is a very intelligent man when you speak to him face to face. I think he hates teaching but the pay or severance is good so he does it. Just like all of us will be doing at some point in our lives anyways. If you respect him and his background, you'll have no problems. Good luck.

Psh... People need to stop hating on Nakamura for being hard. His class is not that bad at all and he really tries his hardest to get the message across. He is pretty goofy, but his lectures can be dry sometimes just because he talks so much, and also, he puts a major curve on the final grade, which is pretty cool. Overall, I liked this class and thought Nakamura was good. People need to stop crying about taking a somewhat challenging general ed course.

I guess he's worse for people in Bio 11, but Bio 112 he's not so bad. Lectures are boring but the material is interesting and I don't even care for biology. His tests were a little tough, not too bad, average test scores were 70-75% and he curves them greatly. He even says he wants you to pass and do well in his class--hence the curve. I got 2 Cs on my Mid Terms and I have no idea about the final but I thought it was tough--and I got an A! As long as you study and put some effort forth you will get a good grade. The people here who bitch about him are probably those who expect to ditch class every week and expect an A handed to them. Sorry folks but a little studying is involved whether you like the class or not. Nakamura really isn't that bad; he's a real nice guy and will answer any question you have.

material is pretty straightforward. tests are poorly written but as long as you look over the book and powerpoints you'll get C's which will probably get curved to an A depending on how dumb your class is. overall boring class but fair grading

Avoid him! I chose this class because I was interested in the material, but Nakamura\'s lectures were the most boring I\'ve ever been to. He has power points that you are supposed to print out, but he repeats some slides about 20 times, so they get huge and waste ink. The whole class figured out pretty quickly that it wasn\'t worth it to go to class, and few people did. The tests don\'t reflect what you learn in class anyway, so all the learning you\'ll do is in studying for the midterms. If you have any interest in environmental biology, wait for someone else.

Yes, it is true that he sets a MASSIVE curve, and even if you get 2 C\'s on his exams you can still end up with an A in the class overall. However, the reason this class sucked so much was because of how obvious it was how much Dr. Nakamura hates teaching this class. His articles and slides are out of date. He never really wants to be there so he lets you go early (which is a good thing) his tests are ridiculous with lots of questions on them that shouldn\'t have been. Nakamura is a smart man and is passionate about marine protection except he fails to show his Bio 112 that he likes teaching. The lectures were meaningless and boring. I would say don\'t take him.

Worst professor I have ever had. He ends class 30 minutes early everyday...seems nice but I am PAYING YOU to teach me for 2 hours. Besides, he gets all his graphics from the book and all his lecture material from the book. He is not contributing ANY intellectual value to the class. His tests are the worst test of knowledge I have ever been presented with. He does not ask about the concepts that he asks you to know...he asks what ANIMAL was used in the book as an example of this concept. How is that testing if I know the material? If you want to get an A on his test I suggest memorizing the entire book including font color and grammar mistakes because I would not be surprised if he put that on the test. I would HIGHLY HIGHLY discourage taking any of his classes.

Nakamura is a really nice guy, but he has no idea how to teach. A lot of the things that he lectured on werent even brought up on the tests. All that he provided in class were powerpoints that he basically jsut read off of and then went into tangents about things that werent even relevant. It was hard to take notes and stay on track. The good thing is that he provides study guides for before tests and KNOW EVERYTHING HE PROVIDES. The test is basically a teach yourself. But if you prepare from off the study guide and do all of the assigned reading (which is a lot) ten you will be solid.

The reason people get bad grades in this class is because no one ever comes. I was one of the only people who showed up to class everyday, there were only like five kids in class at once. Im an average student and I got an A in this class. There is three tests and thats it, all you have to do is do the readings and go to class and study a bit for the test. Dont be a pile, go to class and youll do fine theres a huge curve and on the second test I got a 48% on the multiple choice and the curve made it so I got an 87% on the test. Take this class its really easy.

This class was the most confusing class I think I have ever taken. The material was interesting, and Royden seemed to know a lot, but the lectures were totally boring, the reading was extremely long and confusing, and the grading was a complete mystery. He never posted the grades, and the class didn't seem that difficult, but for some reason, hardly anyone passed his tests. I always felt confident about the tests and thought I had thoroughly studied, but then I was always shocked when I would get my test back. Also, no one ever shows up to the class. I probably missed 3-4 classes and there were probably 5 people there, tops. However, I would say if you're stuck with the class, it's probably a good idea to go. You'll be surprised how much it will help with understanding, since so much is confusing. Also, do the readings, as meaningless as they may seem, there's actually a good amount of material on the tests about it.

This has to be honestly the worst class I have taken so far at poly. He was a horrible professor and made the class really difficult to follow. I'm a good student and I had a hard time doing well in the class. Try to find another teacher, it honestly isn't worth letting your GPA suffer.

Royden should no longer be teaching at Cal Poly. His lectures are seriously the most boring thing ever and he he obviously doesn't give two craps about if you actually are learning the information. The key to this class is going to his office hours. I did pretty bad on the first two midterms, but I went into his office hours before the final and it was a breeze. His class is going to become you low priority class, you're not ever going to go to class, but go to his office hours and you should be ok. If you can avoid him, take another teacher, it will be worth your time!

The class has the potential to be really interesting. It covers a broad base of environmental issues - from policy to science. Nakaruma really doesn't care about the class or material and it's a bummer because I think he actually has a good amount of knowledge on the subject. The class is relatively simple if you can read efficiently and remember. The articles he assigns are interesting for the more part. Overall the class is tedious but somewhat interesting.

I'm not a Bio major but I enjoy this class! His lectures are fairly boring, but he always lets us out a half-hour early! He basically reads off of his powerpoints, and he skips over some, but it's worth going to lecture because he tells you some example's he's going to use on the midterms, and he even tells you exactly what material you will and will not be tested on. He assigns what seems to be a LOT of reading, and you HAVE to do it all. He puts it all on the midterms and makes you know the articles by the author's name and not by the title of the article. You really just need to go with the flow with him and you'll be fine.

Honestly, this man should be ashamed of himself. Conservation bio should be one of the most important classes that anyone takes in college, but this class is full of inaccurate, old, and entirely irrelevant information that does not and will not help ANYONE, especially this planet. Example? I'm currently reading an article for this class titled "the scientific consensus on global warming." This sounds great, but it was written in 2004 (TEN YEARS AGO). I know for a FACT that the scientific consensus for global warming has changed a lot in the past ten years, and as a professor it should be Nakamura's duty to educate his students with current, useful information that can be applied across a wide variety of majors and careers. He doesn't give a shit about this class or the people that he's teaching and it makes me sick that my tuition money is going to someone who is actually having a negative effect on the world... Everyone needs to know about conservation and environmental issues no matter what major they are because everyone has the power to have a very negative or very positive effect on this world. This class will not teach you anything but outdated information, and I'm embarrassed that Cal Poly employs such a terrible scientist.

Just study the material and go to class and you will be fine. You do need to pay attention in class and the test are doable.

BAD

Get out before it's too late. I'm not even joking.

It's hard to articulate how thoroughly incompetent, oblivious, and uninteresting Nakamura is. Do yourself a favor and do not take him; his class is a complete waste of time, energy, and life.

This was the worst teacher I've ever had. To begin, he didn't provide a syllabus for weeks, then when it was posted online it contained nothing about the class, only department policies and a reading list of literally hundreds of articles in the format of a mistake-ridden reference page. There was no outline of material to be covered nor how we would be graded nor list of assignments. As it turned out there were just three tests the entire quarter. He required a certain amount of readings before one test, then wrote an email to disregard half of them, then still tried to test us on them. It took weeks to get our test grades. During the final he provided a reading list that we were to google to find the articles, yet he didn't even provide the article titles. You will be tested using the author of the required readings, not the title of the article. He curved the tests an average of 25 points and the average was still a C after the 25 percentage points for everyone I spoke with. I heard of one B and one A. He doesn't ever tell you what he'll be talking about, he just talks through powerpoints without getting any student input. Asking him a question involves him just stopping to walk within two feet of you so he can hear you supposedly, and rarely adequately answers the question. The class is unorganized, with no communication from a teacher who you will struggle to learn anything from. Only previous knowledge of BIO and reading the required readings will help you pass. (along with the help of 25 extra points per test)

I've heard that Dr. Nakamura is a good upper division bio instructor but he sure didn't care about this Bio 153 lab. He didn't do much lecture at the beginning of the period and then would "disappear" so you couldn't ask questions. When you did ask a question he usually didn't know and would leave again to go find out. Takes a week to get tests back that could be corrected in a day.

This class is normally a challenge, but Nakamura made it much more complicated. He never lectured when we asked him to, he doesnt explain anything, he usually leaves the room after class begins, he is late to every class, and he doesnt correct tests for weeks. I would not recommend this teacher for this lab. You are probably better off taking Gambs or a grad student. At least they show some interest in the subject.

Ok so first of all, this is a prime example on how you should listen to polyratings. i looked him up before and he had terrible reviews but i had to take him anyway cuz i had last priority. I should have just waited till the next quarter. Nakamura basically just comes in everyday says "well...go at it" and then sits down and does nothing. Bio 153 has a ton of information to memorize, but if you ask Nakamura if its important or not, he just shrugs. like literally will not give you an answer either way. Just shrugs. I finally had to start going to another lab instructor's labs and my test grades raised about two letter grades. My advice: Take Richards, he's the best.

This guy sucked ass, he was a total bastard! He barely speaks english. You are on your own the entire lab period. I could see how this could be a good class for some people, if you memorize the lab book, this is the class for you! He won't explain anything in class, its like independent study. His lab classes had to be curved up substantially so the classes grades would even out. Avoid him at all costs. BORING!

Nakamura had absolutely NOOOO clue what he was talkign about. This is a prime example...we were dissecting a shark and we pointed to a part we were unsure of and asked him what it was. He told us it was just some gland. It turned out that "that gland" was actualyl the testes! He didn't even know the basics! He could not answer any of your questions! And he would just randomly walk out of class all the time. Avoid him unless you enjoy independent study!

He is about as helpful as the cadavers that all the other teachers show to their students. Don't worry though if you can manage to average a 65 on his lab tests the lecture instructor will probably raise your scores by 10 points after he sees that all of the students in his class failed miserably. Look for extra help outside of his class. If you have time skip his lab and attend another, most lab teachers will understand where you are coming from. Other teachers will lecture on the material for quite a while, and explain to you what the test might emphasize. Nakamura's job consists of opening the door before class. Quoting another lab instructor, "The man is a flake".

Dr. Nakamura is a nice guy and the class was interesting. I don't know what the hell some of these people are bitching about.

This class was a pretty easy class to get through. The material isn't too difficult, but listening to lectures was. It was very dry and hard to really take notes on. He couldn't relate the information to the students very well, so the class would always lose interest. The class didnt feel organized either. If there's no other D5 course you can take...just take it. If you have other options...don't take this class.

ok, so for a GE I was expecting something not too difficult. Unfortunately this class sucked. It was very boring and I didn\'t feel like I learned a thing. There is no text book for this class which means you only have the power points or your notes to study from. When it comes to the midterms, they are boggus. He could care less about this class and he puts questions on there that can\'t be found on either the power point or class notes. The average for his midterms is a D. There is no point in even studying for his class becuase more than half of the questions come out of no where. I feel like i put more work into this class then the teacher. All his test feel like they\'ve been written at two in the morning the day of.

Not sure why everyone else is hating, I guess it's because all the non-bio majors. I'm not a bio major, but I really enjoy his teaching. Yeah it's all powerpoint and he has slides that he should take out because he skips over them, but he's really passionate about what he does. Just go with the flow that is Nakamura and you'll be fine. Less stressing, more taking what he says just as it is and you'll be fine. We had a take home midterm and most of the answers were straight from the lecture notes as is. We barely stay an hour for lab; mostly just watch a controversial documentary and leave. He even brought in 5 types of salmon for us to try on bagels with cream cheese, capers, and onions one day. SO AWESOME! Nakamura for most chill, tan, asian professor ever!

This class was a complete waste of time and needs to be cancelled. First of all, I could rant on and on about his midterms. They are take home so you would think hey no big deal, piece of cake. NOPE. They aren't difficult midterms, it's just the ARRAY of mistakes he makes in writing them. I'm almost embarrassed for him. If you needed him to clarify any mistake on the test or confusing wording, he would just say "it's a take home so I'm not too worried" and then avoid the question. What? It was obvious he could care less about his students or the class. He wanted the class to end just as badly as we wanted it to. His lectures weren't too bad, but they were often power point slides that were either rushed through or confusing. If all this doesn't deter you, there was also a required 20 minute individual presentation that in itself was a painful experience. We devoted the last three weeks of class to just go through them all. Ridiculous. Waste of money for a class. AVOID!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This class was an easy A. Two exams which are both take home and one project presentation that we were allowed to pick any aquaculture related topic. He took attendance most days when people stopped showing up to class, but I'm not sure if he even used them for points. He is very unorganized, but just make sure you stay on top of things like your grade and you'll do great. The class is pretty boring but its a good/easy GE Area F. First half of the quarter is basically lecture and education videos. Second half of quarter is purely project presentations. He's just a sweet old Hawaiian man who brought us salmon toward the end of the quarter. He also offered extra credit if you really need it!

I took Dr. Nakamura for Aquaculture, an area F GE. Though he is a very sweet older man, he should NOT be allowed to teach anymore unless he seriously steps up his game. DO NOT TAKE HIM FOR ANY CLASS! He's either too old to teach or just doesn't care about teaching anymore because he didn't demonstrate any knowledge of how to properly grade or evaluate his students. First, he "forgot" that we had class on the first day and never showed up - an honest mistake (i guess). Next, there were only 2 tests, one of which he graded so poorly and wrong that he ended up just throwing out, and a final presentation. Side note, it took him about a month to grade the scantron midterm, gave it back to us the LAST DAY OF CLASS, and everyone failed it (due to him not knowing how to use a scantron machine). Not to mention, the tests are horribly written, sometimes with multiple answers, ambiguity, horrendous grammar errors, and even questions with no answer choices. To make matters better (sarcasm), he has NO OFFICE HOURS and DOES NOT REPLY TO EMAIL. It was absolutely impossible to get ahold of him and some eventually resorted to waiting outside his office until he showed up. A couple of others and I actually went to the department head to complain, which raised some awareness about Nakamura but might not have solved it. Not sure if he will be fired or not, so PLEASE TAKE MY WORD AND DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS.

Royden is the man for this class. The first couple labs we got to fillet rockfish ourselves and take them home to eat. In lab he also brought in rockfish which he cooked himself for us to eat. Then, he chartered us a boat at morro bay and took us fishing. Everyone caught ATLEAST 6-10 fish. This class is the funnest class i've had at cal poly. About his lectures...they kinda sucked. He will get on tangents about this or that and it will get boring. There were three lecture test which were all less than one hundred points, and they were all curved. The lab exams are what counts!! They are all memorization (classifying fish: family, genus, species), no surprises. You did have to put in hours for these lab exams b/c there were a lot of fish. There were two lab exams both worth over 400 points!!! This means the lab exams are what makes or breaks your grade. I got an A in both lab exams and a B-'s on lecture exams. Concentrate on the lab exams and don't worry about the lecture exams. HAVE FUN

Dr. Nakamura is a cool guy but his tests are hard. You must memorize the book line by line if you want to get an A. The field trip is the best part. Take this class if you have a good memory or if you are really into fish.

Royden.... All his reviews have been from bio 111 courses which I know he HATES teaching, which probably is the reason people seem to enjoy the class so much. Anyways, I took royden for the his whole fish series, and it was awesome. One of the best classes I have experienced at poly, I agree his tests are WAY OUT THERE but who cares dont stress youll get a good grade, just enjoy the class. If you like fish, this class is great, you get to really enjoy a class without the intensity that most teachers push on you. I highly recomend all his classes, although there are some that disagree, try him out. now at least he has one good poly rating

Professor Nakamura is clearly underated. His teaching style although average is not deserving of the grade other students have given him here on polyratings. This class is extremely time consuming and you should not put off knowing the fish names, for lab, the day before the test. It is impossible to learn them all over night. Given that the class is hard Nakamura does the best he can to try and make sure everyone in the class is going to pass. He is the nicest most thoughtful professor I have had at college and I think he deserves more credit than he has recieved on polyratings.com.

If your taking nakamura for anything OTHER THAN his basic bio courses, i suggest you should. royden is a really relax and easy going guy, since you are taking this class for ur degree, not just for basic stuff. he assumes you all know your stuff. i have no idea how i did on his tests. i cant tell whether it was from reading the book or his lecture presentations. whatever it is, dont worry too much on it. if you do well in lecture, youre half way there. lab consists of just looking at the fish, recognizeing and memorizing the family genus species. he gives you chances halfway in the semester to get ur act together so i suggest you should! hes a really easy going professor. field trips are very interesting!! take advatge of this class but dont stress out too much

Dr. Nakamura is the cutest professor ever. He doesn't really present the material very well though because he gets all excited about things that he's interested in and goes off on a tangent. His lectures are very scattered and kind of confusing. You don't even need the text book because it just confuses you, just study the slides for the tests. The tests are mostly multiple choice and ask very random but specific questions. Pretty much al of the answers are from lecture. Lab is just straight identification and classification and takes a lot of studying time. He offers extra credit for field trips so take advantage. He's not the best at presenting material but just talk to him and you'll see that his main concern is that you enjoy the class and are interested in fish.

If your thinking about taking a class from Royden that has ANYTHING to do with fish then TAKE HIM! Royden loves fish and loves anyone who takes a fish class from him. Obviously the upper division fish courses are not BASIC BIO which he clearly doesn't have a passion for. If your major is BIO related you'll love Royden, but it your taking him for a GE credit or something you'll end up like the rest of these people bashing this wonderful and sweet man! His main concern was that we enjoyed his class on fish and didn't worry ourselves too much about the grade aspect. Bottom line: I went to all the labs and did really will classifiying fish on the lab practicals and got an A- in the class even though I had a D+ from the tough lecture exams! SO INTEREST AND YOU'LL BE REWARDED!!!

Ok, it sucks because this class is required for any Marine Bio concentration, and Nakamura is the only professor who teaches it. Here\'s how the class works: Lectures are boring and pointless and will cost you about 60 dollars in ink just to print out the powerpoints. The lecture exams have really nothing to do with his lectures, as he just recycles them from past quarters and doesn\'t lecture on the same things. Lab is the key to this class, if you go to lab and then spend the time to learn the family genus of species of nearly a hundred fish per exam (2 exams in the quarter) then you should do fine. However, the lab has nothing to do with Nakamura, you could do lab by yourself (basically, there are fish in buckets and you have a key and just go to town without much assistance from him). In conclusion, Nakamura is a terrible professor; he can\'t even speak proper English or correctly say biological terms. How he ever got hired I have no idea.

There is no excuse for his poor teaching. He may be old, but it doesnt excuse him for teaching wrong information and testing on information not presented in class or in the readings. Royden should go watch Kiel teach and learn what a professor is supposed to be

Don't take this class unless you have a photographic memory or unless your other classes are really easy and you have time to spend on this class. For the lecture tests you have to know all the graphics in your notes and sometimes you're asked to fill in the blanks. And he loves the all the above answers as well as A and B, C and D, etc. Lab is interesting I guess. You look at fish that have been dead and in formaldehyde for years. Then for the two lab practicals (worth 25% of your grade, each) you have to memorize the family, genus and species of at least 70 slides and 50 live (but really dead) specimens. Again, it's not horrible if you have the time to memorize everything. And he curves the class A LOT!

Taking this instructor is like being in a Twilight Zone episode. You just can