Western Kentucky University / P / Keith Phillips

Keith Phillips

Keith Phillips

BIOL

Add your Evaluation
Averages:

Overall Rating

OK

Grade Received

B

Course Difficulty

Difficult

Quantity of Notes

Moderate

Tag Summary:

True/False: 19

Multiple Choice: 32

Matching: 9

Fill in the Blank: 7

Essays: 5

Problem Solving: 3

Mandatory Final: 29

Cumulative Final: 28

Textbook Required: 4

Extra Credit: 15

Attendance Required: 4

35 Total Evaluations

BIOL-122 : Biological Concepts - Posted 5/1/2013

Overall Rating:

Good

Grade:

B

Quantity of Notes:

Not Specified

Difficulty:

Difficult

Comments
Dr. Phillips is one of those teachers that puts all of his lectures on blackboard. You don't have to go to class but hearing his lectures is probably a good idea. For my class there was only 4 grades. Three tests and then a cumulative final. He gives extra credit but he says its worth very little points. Uses the same textbook technically at 120 but he doesn't really teach by the book. Sometimes questions on tests didn't seem to be covered in class but he does curve tests a little normally. There isn't any homework and if he says you're having a quiz its more of just a practice quiz than an actual grade.

BIOL-475 : Coleoptera Evolution - Posted 5/6/2011

Overall Rating:

Good

Grade:

A

Quantity of Notes:

Few/None

Difficulty:

Moderate

Comments
I love Dr. Philips this is a special topics course and he only offers it to a selected few students. You work in his lab and look at all the beetle families and learn all the families and morphological traits. He is one of the funniest and most bloody interesting people I have EVER met..if this ever opens to a public class. TAKE IT!

BIOL-325 : Insect Biodiversity - Posted 10/30/2010

Overall Rating:

Good

Grade:

A

Quantity of Notes:

Moderate

Difficulty:

Moderate

Comments
Dr. Philips is such fun! He love insects and it shows in his compassionate way of teaching. He challenges you to step up to the plate and be a true college student, no powerpoints, or freebies. But I liked that because you learned the material so well and kept you awake. The lab is fun, you do several field trips which are a blast, he cursed someone out for cutting our bus off. lol funny guy. the lab consists of two quizzes and a final. the lecture has two exams and a final all are multiple choice and short answer. take this man and be ready for some fun!

BIOL-121 : Introduction To Biological Concepts - Posted 6/11/2010

Overall Rating:

Good

Grade:

B

Quantity of Notes:

Few/None

Difficulty:

Moderate

Comments
Dr. Philips class is demanding in the amount of information he gives you per test. His tests are multiple choice but they are very tricky. His wording is the tricky part. When he is lecturing he is all over the place and has a lot of FYI information that clouds the information which you need to know.

BIOL-122 : Biol Conc Evol Div Ecol - Posted 4/26/2010

Overall Rating:

Good

Grade:

A

Quantity of Notes:

Moderate

Difficulty:

Moderate

Comments
Dr. Philips is very nice, but loopy. He will help you in anyway possible. Come to class and take notes during lecture and you will be fine. It helps to study 30 min after each lecture to stay on top of things.

BIOL-113 : Intro To Biology - Posted 1/28/2010

Overall Rating:

OK

Grade:

C

Quantity of Notes:

Moderate

Difficulty:

Moderate

Comments
His tests are really hard, I hate biology but somehow I pulled out a C. He's kind of boring, but knows a lot about biology.

BIOL-113 : - Posted 9/11/2009

Overall Rating:

Poor

Grade:

D

Quantity of Notes:

Overkill

Difficulty:

Difficult

Comments
OMG. The biggest problem that I had from him was the tests. The tests were ridiculously hard. Plus he is mono-toned.

BIOL-122 : Biological Concepts Evolution Diversity Ecology - Posted 7/31/2009

Overall Rating:

Good

Grade:

Not Specified

Quantity of Notes:

Moderate

Difficulty:

Easy

Comments
Absolutely fascinating! Dr. Philips is very fascinated with his work and really does an excellent job teaching biology. The class was so interesting that I wanted to be there for every class, even though attendance was in no way mandatory. Tests are simple and cover what is covered in class. A big plus is that Dr. Philips is very funny and entertaining in his lectures. Never boring. Never sleepy or wishing that were elsewhere. What more can I say?

BIOL-122 : Biol Concepts For Evolution, Etc - Posted 5/15/2007

Overall Rating:

Poor

Grade:

D

Quantity of Notes:

Few/None

Difficulty:

Difficult

Comments
This guys is horrible and shouldn't be employed by WKU. He is the WORST professor I have ever had. He offered absolutely no help at all, and nearly 85% of the class struggled to pass. I would study for days and weeks leading up to the exam, but for the love of me, I just couldn't get anything above a D or F. This guy even had the nereve to place a word on the Final that he didn't know the meaning to. There were things on each exam that he had never introduced to us, to top it all off, they weren't in the book either. Where he got these questions at God only knows. HE SUCKS!!!! and if you take him you are setting yourself up for academic suicide!!!! HONESTLY!!!!!

BIOL-122 : Biology/diversity/ecology - Posted 5/10/2007

Overall Rating:

Good

Grade:

A

Quantity of Notes:

Moderate

Difficulty:

Moderate

Comments
I really liked this guy. The class was really informal and was more like a discussion than a lecture. He was really good at answering questions, although sometimes he could get pretty off-track when answering questions. I really recommend Dr. Philips. It was definitely the best class I had this semester.

BIOL-122 : - Posted 7/17/2006

Overall Rating:

Poor

Grade:

C

Quantity of Notes:

Overkill

Difficulty:

Moderate

Comments
he's a BORE! and his voice is sooooo monotoned! the notes were a bore and easy to follow. his tests aren't hard the first is over the whole life of the earth and animals. the second and third are sooooo easy i got a B and A. the last test(finals) was over EVERYTHING that was taught. but he screwed me over with the grade cuz he said he was going to add extra points, but didn't. but if you get a A on the final then you will probably get a B or A even if you got D's C's or B's on the last three.

BIOL-120 : - Posted 2/19/2006

Overall Rating:

Good

Grade:

A

Quantity of Notes:

Few/None

Difficulty:

Easy

Comments
Dr. Phillips is a little boring, but a very good teacher. He may seem to be a little weird because of the whole insect obsession but he is a good, honest man. He will actually talk to you as if you are one his pals instead of having that I'm better than you mentality that a lot of phd's seem to have.

BIOL-113 : Intro To Biology - Posted 1/4/2006

Overall Rating:

Good

Grade:

A

Quantity of Notes:

Few/None

Difficulty:

Easy

Comments
Dr. Philips is a good teacher to take for this class; he is very easy going and provides helpful hints for remembering information. Going to class can be helpful, but it insn't mandatory, and everything you need to do well is online. All the assignments are online, and very self-explanatory. I went to class less than half the time and got an A - just make sure you read the online notes and study them for the tests!

BIOL-113 : General Biology - Posted 12/15/2005

Overall Rating:

Good

Grade:

Not Specified

Quantity of Notes:

Moderate

Difficulty:

Easy

Comments
Dr. Phillips is great. While attendence isn't mandatory, it is a really good idea to show up. All the notes are online, but his lecture consists of going over them and him telling what's important and what isn't. He also likes to throw in little bits of info not in the online notes and then put questions about it on the tests. He really funny and knows his stuff, he encourages discussion and likes what he does. The class is set-up to make it easy to pass. Basically, it's a great class.

BIOL-113 : Intro To Biology - Posted 11/21/2005

Overall Rating:

Good

Grade:

A

Quantity of Notes:

Moderate

Difficulty:

Easy

Comments
This class is easy if you come to class, don't fall asleep and pay attention. He is easy going and makes lots of jokes that make his class fun. If you read over the lecture notes that are online you will get at least a high C or B on the test. If you come to class you can get an A or B. In class he tells you what you should know for the test. He also gives out questions on the test that you can only get the answers by coming to class. Over all it is fun. All assignments are on Black board along with the notes.

BIOL-121 : - Posted 10/26/2005

Overall Rating:

Poor

Grade:

D

Quantity of Notes:

Moderate

Difficulty:

Difficult

Comments
I would not recommend him to anyone. He's a nice guy but tests are difficult. Attendance isn't mandatory but even if you do come to class it doesn't benefit you. He just goes over the powerpoints that could be found on blackboard, occasionally he might add one or two extra notes, nothing worth walking up the hill to his class.

BIOL-120 : General Biology I - Posted 7/23/2005

Overall Rating:

OK

Grade:

C

Quantity of Notes:

Few/None

Difficulty:

Moderate

Comments

BIOL-120 : - Posted 6/5/2005

Overall Rating:

Good

Grade:

A

Quantity of Notes:

Few/None

Difficulty:

Moderate

Comments
Dr. Philips really enjoys Biology, and this comes across in his teaching. You don't have to go to class, but if you do you will pick up a little more information than you would just reading the power point slides. Some students might say you don't need the book, but I did. The Power points are great because he tests directly from them. But they aren't clear on some points, and I used the book to clear up any confusion I had. If you know the material in the power points in and out, you'll be fine. Dr. Philips is also willing to help you outside of class and is very accessible.

BIOL-120 : - Posted 5/6/2005

Overall Rating:

OK

Grade:

B

Quantity of Notes:

Overkill

Difficulty:

Difficult

Comments
This class wouldn't have been so hard if the teacher actually taught. All he did was read straight from the Powerpoint Presentations. I learned very little, which made it hard when you would start to study for the tests. You pretty much had to teach yourself. He does give lots of extra credit. There was really no need to go to class because he posts the Powerpoint presentations online so you could just print them off and know exactly what was going on in class. He definetely wasn't the best teacher I have had.

BIOL-120 : Biological Concepts I - Posted 5/2/2005

Overall Rating:

Poor

Grade:

C

Quantity of Notes:

Moderate

Difficulty:

Difficult

Comments
*The Horror* I am not sure if you can call what he does "teaching" He reads straight from his PP slides, and thats it, READS, he is mind numbingly boring so attending class is not usually a preffered option. Just print off the PP slides.

BIOL-120 : - Posted 4/22/2005

Overall Rating:

Good

Grade:

Not Specified

Quantity of Notes:

Moderate

Difficulty:

Moderate

Comments
This prof is one of the best I have taken at WKU. If I had taken this course earlier I may have swtiched majors. He knows his stuff and gives an entertaining lecture. Students who did bad in this class don't come to class and probably don't study.

BIOL-120 : - Posted 4/20/2005

Overall Rating:

Poor

Grade:

B

Quantity of Notes:

Overkill

Difficulty:

Difficult

Comments
Dr. Phillips didn't teach this class. He got his powerpoint slides and read straight from them. You can download his PP slides, which is great. Since you have them, there is no need to go to class (he just reads straight from them). He is extremely boring. You have no idea what to study. STAY AWAY!

BIOL-120 : Biological Concepts - Posted 3/22/2005

Overall Rating:

Good

Grade:

B

Quantity of Notes:

Moderate

Difficulty:

Moderate

Comments
Interesting class and great professor. Dr Phillips was always willing to help outside of class. Highly recommend him.

BIOL-225 : Zoology Lab - Posted 11/12/2004

Overall Rating:

OK

Grade:

C

Quantity of Notes:

Few/None

Difficulty:

Difficult

Comments
Dr. Phillips has an extreme passion for insects and knows quite a lot about them but as far as an instructor he is not so good. I felt like i didn't know what to study for his pretty difficult quizes. I had a B until the final though, which I did not do well on at all. Its a bit harder than the lecture.

BIOL-225 : Zoology Lab - Posted 4/11/2004

Overall Rating:

Poor

Grade:

A

Quantity of Notes:

Moderate

Difficulty:

Difficult

Comments
This man is sooo boring. His quizzes are way too hard, much harder than zoo lecture. He keeps you the entire two hours and lab, and if you're about to finish early he will start talking again about something really boring. Don't take him. I promise you'll study more for his quizzes than you will for zoo lecture exams.

BIOL- : Bio 113 - Posted 7/21/2003

Overall Rating:

Good

Grade:

B

Quantity of Notes:

Few/None

Difficulty:

Easy

Comments
Mr. Phillips outlines the most important parts of the online notes in order to prepare you for his tests. However, you have to attend class to hear his lectures which most people do not do because it isn't mandatory. It is beneficial to attend at least occasionally for test preparation and because he is a funny and interesting person who will help you with whatever you need.

BIOL-113 : General Biology - Posted 12/12/2002

Overall Rating:

Good

Grade:

B

Quantity of Notes:

Few/None

Difficulty:

Moderate

Comments
This is the easiest class ever. You only have to show up for tests. there are online quizzes and assignments to take but they are easy. The info for the class is all on the internet so you don't have to buy a book. In class time is boring so I wouldn't recommend going. Phillips is a fair teacher. He is nice and helpful. I missed a test and he let me make it up. I recommend this class for gen ed.

BIOL-113 : General Biology - Posted 12/11/2002

Overall Rating:

Poor

Grade:

C

Quantity of Notes:

Few/None

Difficulty:

Difficult

Comments
Dr. Phillips is the epitomy of a bad teacher. When you go to class, all he does is read directly from the website in which all the course material is on. He doesn't try to explain anything. One section in the class that he has, has no educational value whatsoever. He rushes through the subjects to the point where no one can keep up or ask questions to clarify a certain point. He does not offer help outside of class. He designs the test so that non essential aspects of the subject are on there, but not the essential parts. Also, the wording of the tests make it difficult to understand.

BIOL-120 : Biology - Posted 11/18/2002

Overall Rating:

OK

Grade:

A

Quantity of Notes:

Overkill

Difficulty:

Moderate

Comments
I came to the class with a string background in biology having taken a AP biology class in high school. I feel that without this my grade would not be good. Grade consists of 5 exams... the final is partially cumulative. He will not tell you what to study for the exams. He will have certain words in yellow in his PP presentations which are good to focus on. If you are willing to put in a lot of extra time studying... you have a chance of doing decent in his class... but it definatly will be challanging

BIOL-120 : Biology - Posted 11/13/2002

Overall Rating:

Poor

Grade:

C

Quantity of Notes:

Overkill

Difficulty:

Difficult

Comments
Mr. Philips puts his notes on the internet so there is really no reason to come to class. It wouldnt matter if you did come, he just reads exactly what is on the internet anyway and he is BORING...His tests are very difficult even if you study the notes...it is a lose/lose situation in his class.

BIOL- : General Biology 121 - Posted 11/4/2002

Overall Rating:

Poor

Grade:

Not Specified

Quantity of Notes:

Overkill

Difficulty:

Difficult

Comments
PHILLIPS MIGHT KNOW BIOLOGY BUT HE DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO TEACH HIS NOTES ARE FROM POWER POINTS BUT HIS TEST ARE FROM THE BOOK WHICH HE TOLD YOU WAS NOT REQUIRED. DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT TAKE THIS MAN FOR ANY REASON YOU WILL NOT LEARN ANYTHING AND IT WILL HURT YOUR GPA.

BIOL-224 : - Posted 12/16/2001

Overall Rating:

OK

Grade:

B

Quantity of Notes:

Overkill

Difficulty:

Difficult

Comments
I liked Dr. Phillips okay except for his dishonesty. He would say to study our notes and that would be all we needed for the tests; however, there were questions on the tests that we had never seen before. They were not in the book either. Plus, when he told us our grades, he was also dishonest. He told me and another girl that we had a solid A; however, when we checked our transcripts, we both had Bs. I had him for lab as well and I made an A. But the lab was more straightforward than the lecture.

BIOL-120 : Biological Concepts I - Posted 12/13/2001

Overall Rating:

Poor

Grade:

B

Quantity of Notes:

Overkill

Difficulty:

Moderate

Comments
Does not teach from memory. Composes Powerpoint presentations and "reads" from them.

BIOL-121 : Biology 121 Lab - Posted 12/13/2001

Overall Rating:

Poor

Grade:

A

Quantity of Notes:

Few/None

Difficulty:

Difficult

Comments
Teacher never stayed in class. Once he came, he left and had his lab assistant work with us. I wish I had that kind of job. Tests were moderate in difficulty. Would not recommend, unless you want to study your butt off.

BIOL-120 : Biology 120 - Posted 12/13/2001

Overall Rating:

Poor

Grade:

Not Specified

Quantity of Notes:

Overkill

Difficulty:

Difficult

Comments
Don't get me wrong, Dr. Philips is a nice guy and all, but he can't teach. He tests are so random. They will be either very easy or extremely difficult. If you don't read the book, you'll miss questions on the test, although he won't tell you this. Grading is on the 10 pt scale. I would not take this prof. again.