Professor Montell is knowledgeable and made a subject that could easily be boring into something exciting. I loved the guest lectures and was so thankful for her recording lectures. I have seen feedback on here that her lectures are disorganized, I disagree. Sometimes her slides can be a bit redundant, but that just drives her point home.

Entire course disorganized. Seems like she didn't prepare for lectures or know what she was going to talk about. Slides crammed with little information. Doesn't respond to emails, has others do it for her.

Denise is a great professor and chooses topics that are very prevalent and interesting. Exams are entirely lecture based, so if you know the lectures you will be fine. I thought the class was graded very fairly and found it super interesting. I am sad I can't take it again.

She's nice, but her lectures are so hard to get through. It seems like she starts every sentence without knowing what she wants to say so she's constantly pausing to reword things or repeating herself. Her slides also don't have a clear relationship to the previous ones, so it's hard to understand her train of thought and connect different ideas.

I haven't even finished this class (W21) yet but it's been one of the worst upper division bio classes that I have taken thus far. The material itself is interesting, but Prof. Montell is so awful at lecturing and her quizzes are frustrating. Also, she's not very understanding and gets upset at students for asking about grading inaccuracies.

I haven't even made it through the whole course, but I am not a fan. Professor Montell is wicked smart, but lecturing is not her strong point. Her lectures are all over the place and she often takes long pauses like she doesn't even know what she wants to say. Her quizzes are super confusing and leave you second guessing.

I took this class W 20 pre COVID. The final ended up being optional. It's one of the easier upperdiv MCDB classes. Her lecturing might be confusing, but with effort it will be ok. The class was fairly easy because she would allow you to bring in a cheat sheet where you could write anything on one page for both the midterm and the final.

Denise isnt a great professor, but thats not to say you wont succeed in her class. Sitting through lectures will be like pulling your hair out but you can probably get an A if you keep up with the material.

Denise Montell's class was one of my favorite upper division bio classes. She really tests your knowledge and understanding of the material, instead of your ability to memorize and regurgitate. An interesting and challenging course, not for the faint of heart

her lectures are all over the place and she can't seem to articulate what she wants to say. i think she would just start talking without really knowing where she was going with that sentence. super frustrating. the material/topic was really interesting though--i wish i could take it again with someone else

she is extremely unorganized in the way she teaches, her lectures could be a lot more straightforward. this class was very frustrating for me even though i did well because i had to spend a lot of time figuring things out on my own. i would not recommend taking her classes,probably one of my least favorite bio classes

Montell is a genius, extremely helpful, and a great lecturer. The tests are pretty hard, and test your critical thinking skills, and completely de emphasize memorization (you get a cheat sheet of notes). My advice would be to re-listen to the lectures, and take notes ON EVERYTHING she says, and try to understand it conceptually vs. memorize.

This was an amazing class. I learned an incredible amount, and Prof Montell was very fair and helpful. The tests definitely weren't easy, but if you use all of the resources she provides, it is easy to do well.

If you put in the work you'll do well. She speaks quickly but she records the lecture, so listen to them before the midterm. The class is not just about memorizing, it's about really understanding the material. She's pretty helpful in office hours. Textbook is pretty helpful too.

Overall, I think the organization of her lecture material was optimal for learning. She is extremely helpful in office hours and she is personable, so make sure you get to know her. The class isn't an easy A, but she isn't trying to trick you on test, so study diligently and don't fall behind and you'll be great. I learned so much in her class!

This was her first quarter teaching an undergrad and she got the hang of it by the end. The first midterm was difficult because we did not know what to expect. By the end of the class she had lecture recordings, study guides, and practice questions which were helpful. She is very approachable in office hours and she cares about students doing well.