Edwards, Mark  

This was the MOST AWFUL TEACHER i have ever taken at Cal Poly. First of all, he does not respond to any form of communication so don't even bother writing an email or trying to fix an incorrect grade, because its no use. He was the most unorganized teacher and the tests were totally out of left field. The average grade for both of the midterms was probably around a 50%. He grades really unobjectively so if you think you are doing better than the rest of the class don't expect to get a better grade, all the grades were about the same. He has no idea what he is talking about and overall just a horrible teacher. AVOID HIM AT ALL COSTS

IF YOU ARE NOT AN ANIMAL SCIENCE MAJOR AND YOU NEED A B2 GE DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS!! IF YOU WANT YOUR GPA TO REMAIN STRONG, DONT TAKE THIS CLASS!!

I took this class that was team taught with dr. Noland and they were both unorganzied. The study guides created for the tests were only about what one of them taught and lectured on and the reviews were a waste of class time. Edwards had no personality and wasn't helpful in explaining complex terms or ideas that were confusing. He rushed through the power points and even though they were posted on BB they were mostly pictures with no description to help you out when you tried to study for an exam. He came up with statistics on the spot which I doubt any of them were actually researched and he expected that you remember ever little detail about them which doesn't matter in the big picture. I do not reccommend this course to anyone!!

I took this class that was team taught with dr. Noland and they were both unorganzied. The study guides created for the tests were only about what one of them taught and lectured on and the reviews were a waste of class time. Edwards had no personality and wasn't helpful in explaining complex terms or ideas that were confusing. He rushed through the power points and even though they were posted on BB they were mostly pictures with no description to help you out when you tried to study for an exam. He came up with statistics on the spot which I doubt any of them were actually researched and he expected that you remember ever little detail about them which doesn't matter in the big picture. I do not reccommend this course to anyone!!

I have him and another professor for this class. I hate it. They are Extremely disorganized and half the time they cant even get their computers to work, so we end up getting let out of class early (that's not a bad thing). Also there's a project worth 20% of your grade, and they don't even tell you how to do. You pretty much have to do it on your own, but the thing is no one else in the class knows how to do it so everyone's clueless. It's not a very difficult class, it's just that the professors aren't organized.

This was by far the most disorganized and pitifully lectured class I have ever been a part of. Grad students could have run the course better than these two. The reason I chose to evaluate Edwards and not Noland was mainly because she was NICE and HELPFUL...Edwards was a smug, angry little twirp who didn't offer any help, advice, or support even when it was sought after. I hated every minute of his lectures. As a matter of fact, I'd rather sit through a reading of the Oxford Dictionary from Ben Stein than listen to one of Edwards lame lectures. To top it all off, they removed blackboard not even a week after the class ended, so we couldn't see ANY of our grades...not the final, not either of the three midterms, not the project, and most importantly, the participation that accounted for nearly 20% of the class...yes I was there, yes I saw my test scores, but the stupid ass clickers which are supposed to sum up our "participation" never worked, so I wouldn't be surprised if these sloppy clowns docked us all for their flaws. Hopefully they read this, specifically Edwards, and learn a thing or two. This class was an absolute joke, waste of time, and stain on the GPA.

Dr. Edwards was really knowledgable and while I didn't go to office hours, he was more than willing to answer questions in class and talk to students after class to answer their questions. Not sure what the others are talking about, but we had very little technology problems in our class, the clickers were the only problem, but they were a problem in all of my ASCI classes so its not like it was Edwards fault. He always posted his lectures on blackboard so you could study from them. He does not give study guides so make sure to take notes in class on what isn't on the slide shows so you have more to study from because anything they say is fair game even if it isn't in the book or the slide shows. They did grade very hard on the project, my group followed the example exactly and got a B+, they took off 12 points because they didn't like our graph, kinda harsh. The midterms weren't too difficult and there were extra credit opportunities on all of them. Also as they lecture, they often tell you you should know this graph or remember this information and whatever they're talking about usually shows up on the test.

Dr. Edwards was by the far the worst organized professor I've ever encountered at Cal Poly. He is NEVER ORGANIZED and NEVER posts study guides when he says he will. I had the section with both Dr. Horney and Edwards and Dr. Horney actually posted study guides and was enthusiastic about teaching. Dr. Edwards sucked ass!!! It's like Dr. Horney was the only one teaching and he's NEW! I wanted to punch Edwards in his goofy looking face every day in lecture. He rarely even came to lecture and his last minute "study game" for the final was a complete joke. DR. EDWARDS IS BY THE FAR THE WORST TEACHER HERE AT CAL POLY AND YOU SHOULD AVOID HIM AT ALL COSTS. Also, the final was just unorganized and poorly written...JUST LIKE THE ENTIRE COURSE. DO NOT TAKE DR. EDWARDS!!!

I hope that Dr. Edwards reads this because he is THE MOST PATHETIC THING I'VE EVER SEEN. He never updated blackboard so we could NEVER see what our grades were. Yea, he posted lecture slides, but big whoop, so do most teachers. You wanna know what most teachers do too? THEY POST GRADES! I went into the final not knowing what my grade was. Also, the project they assigned that is 20% of our grade took them forever to grade! Also, each midterm had a possible 5 points that could be added for following all the directions, but on the 3rd midterm, he basically told me that he chose to omit the possible 5 points just because we can't "always rely on those 5 points." Is he insane??! He basically made us assume that 5 points would be given for following the directions because that's what he did for the first 2 midterms! Dr. Edwards is the worst teacher at this school. Dr. Horney was a good teacher, but Dr. Edwards is super unorganized and quite frankly, just pitiful.

Dr. Edwards is very passionate about exotic animals and is one of the smartest professors I have ever met. He is attentive and ready in class, and is very fair on tests with material he expects students to know from lectures. MY ADVICE: Take good notes! His tests depend on it! He grades hard, but balanced out the funny/silly Dr. Horney in ASCI 112.

Dr. Edwards really knows nutrition, there is no doubt about that, and he has an obvious enthusiasm for the material. You will definitely learn a lot in this class. HOWEVER! Be prepared to work your butt off. Edwards was really, really tough. The format of his tests are hard to understand, especially the first time around (the second time you know what to expect so it's not as bad), and make it so you quite literally have to know just about everything he ever mentions in lecture (no matter how small a detail). Especially know the formulas. Most students in my class didn't think to know the formulas, since he only passingly mentioned them and since they were mostly things used in lab. This resulted in the average of the class being a 63% on that test. I'll put it this way: I got a C and I was still above the average for the class by a pretty big amount (which was roughly a C-/D+). So I'll repeat: know EVERYTHING he ever mentions, which means study, study, study. That said, I would still HIGHLY recommend him over Dr. Daugherty. Daugherty's test are in theory easier, but he's incrediably nitpicky and will mark points off for the L in "ileum" being too short (and I am not exaggerating). Plus, you just tend to learn more in Dr. Edward's class than Dr. Daugherty's, and Edwards doesn't throw a hissy fit when you challenge a grade. So basically, keep in mind Edwards is fairly new at teaching and thus may be aiming too high for his students to reach. I'm sure that, once he's more used to it, he'll be a lot less hard (as he's more than willing to adjust his teaching methods as he goes according to what his students want). But again: if you take this class with him, be prepared to study a lot. And I do mean a LOT!

you can tell that edwards really knows his stuff. however i wouldnt take asci 220 with him unless youve taken at LEAST chem 127. i dropped the class just because i hadnt taken chem yet and was in way over my head. that said, he is also a veryyyy hard teacher. hes new to teaching and he happens to be my adviser and i know hes a chill guy but until hes been teaching for a few more years i dont intend to retake 220 with him. i dont know what cal poly was thinking putting him in for asci 112. hes super smart but i would NEVER recommend him to teach a freshman level class hes just way too hard. i heard many bad stories about him teaching 112 last year so if thats what youre going for id seriously rethink it. hes very understanding and he means well he just hasnt adapted to teaching yet so cut him a break for now

I really don't have much to say about Dr. Edwards, he presents the material fine. The only reason I am writing this is to WARN ALL FRESHMAN. DO NOT TAKE THIS COURSE AS FRESHMAN. I had a 4.2+ GPA in High School and I have great study habits. UNLESS YOU HAVE TAKEN 3 YRS OF ASCI COURSES THAN DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS

Dr. Edwards was a great teacher. He is very knowledgeable in the subject and always found ways to slip in subtle humor during his lectures. His tests were somewhat difficult but not impossible if you actually studied. He was also very willing to help students during his office hours.

Dr. Edwards should not be getting this bad of a reputation. he is one of the best animal science teachers here at cal poly and knows exactly what he is talking about when teaching the nutrition classes. he is very helpful in office hours if you and go and especially in lab! he really cares about the students and wants everyone to do well. he does put questions on all his tests that may seem tricky but they make you pay close attention to the details. also he gives out atleast 8% of extra credit per exam so it makes up for his tricky questions! take edwards hes the best! unlike some other lab teachers for this class.

Dr. Edwards is easily one of the most qualified and knowledgeable teachers I've had at Cal Poly. Yes, this class is tough, but that won't change no matter who teaches it. While the material can be dry, he does add plenty of his own real world experience as examples, and his lectures are easy to follow and understandable. One warning though, you cannot study enough for the tests. They are just plain hard. And you do need to know the images. Basically, learn everything, and you are set.

Awesome teacher! He is passionate, knowledgeable and extremely helpful! ASCI 220 is not a hard class at all! He just didn't post our grades on polylearn throughout the quarter, that's my only beef. Other than that, super easy course and awesome teacher, always smiling. Loved the music he played every class and variations of khakis he proudly wore.

I really enjoyed this class even though it was difficult. Dr Edwards (in my unpopular opinion) is a cool dude and I really liked his lecture style. Class is somewhat conversational and easy to follow because the subject matter is interesting. He uses a lot of real world experiences and examples to tie everything together. Tests are hard but theres only 2 midterms and a final. He is a very tricky tester and likes to really challenge you so study hard for these. Throughout class, you write a paper about one species of animal and their diet which is really easy. A small part of the paper is due every two weeks, making it totally manageable and an easy 10% of your grade. Study hard, go to class (participation through iclicker), enjoy

Very boring, dry, annoying teacher. The 220 class just sucks all around, the lectures are so boring and pointless and there is absolutely no point in the lab. His midterms are unnecessarily hard and long. If you actually try and pay attention in class you should do fine but its hard because he sucks.

I absolutely love Dr. Edwards, and if you have the chance to take him you definitely should! He presents each lecture with enthusiasm and makes the easily boring material very interesting by applying it to his experiences at the San Diego Zoo or to animals in general. That being said, his class is not to be taken lightly. It requires a lot of work to do well. You have one project you complete throughout the quarter which takes time, but once you understand the directions it's not too difficult. The difficult part is the midterms. His first midterm is extremely reasonable, but the other two were much more difficult. Be sure to study hardest for those, and don't be put into a false sense of security by your grade on the first midterm. (I made this mistake) His expectations are not at all unreasonable however, and he is happy to help any problems you may have. Just be sure you're early for his office hours, because his office is always very busy and it can be difficult to get in.

Personally, I thought Dr. Edwards was a wonderful professor. He presented the material clearly and didn't rush through tons of topics. The exams were pretty reasonable. The second one was the hardest for me, but I blame myself because I didn't understand some of the topics really well. As far as the paper went, which has 5 parts and is turned in over the course of the quarter, I didn't go to office hours to go over part A with him. BAD mistake. That being said I talked over each of the other parts with him before turning them in-he was super helpful- and ended up getting an end grade of 86 on it. Also, he gives discretionary points which you will get easily if you put some effort into the class-ask questions, go to office hours, etc. Depending on how the final went, I will be getting either an A or B in the course. Dr. Edwards is yet another fabulous knowledgeable professor within our pristine Animal Science department! I am taking Equine nutrition with him next quarter and am really looking forward to it!

Dr. Edwards is a great professor and person! I thought the class was going to be way more difficult than it actually was. Do not bother buying the book, did not open it once. The test questions come directly from the slides and lecture. His tests can be a little tricky for some people, but as long as you really know the material it is very easy to get an A. He also gives extra credit on each test, so a few people get over 100%. Make sure you go to every class, the test questions are based off of how long he talks about the subject in class. Towards the end of the quarter he rushed through the slides so there were only 1 or 2 questions based off of the topic on the final. The grade is based off of 45% tests (3 midterms & a final), 25% Lab (w/ a hard practicum but its only worth 2% of your grade), 10% paper (a section is due every couple of weeks), 15% Quizzes (once a week) and 5% discretionary point. Dr. Edwards is very helpful if you go to his office hours.

Worst staff member of any kind I have met at Cal Poly. Totally unprofessional and doesn't care about his students what so ever. He can't even respond to an email, and if he does its because you had to go through an advisor to do so. This guy doesn't deserve his job and the university truly made a mistake when hiring him.

Mark is by far one of the worst (if not the worst) professor's I've had. I've never had to go to an instructor's office hours before, but I decided to for ASCI 220. Last time I checked, going to office hours is supposed to be a helpful tool for clarifying any questions you have about the course. Not only is he not helpful, but I leave more confused every time I go to his office hours. I also get the sense that he purposefully grades his assignments hard just to prove a point or to compensate for certain areas of his life that he may be lacking...

Edwards is a very qualified professor and nutritionist (AND HE KNOWS IT!) The class is pretty straight forward, if you show up, take notes, and study you should do just fine. His tests are right off his slides. Just memorize what you learned in class and thats 99% of the tests. The short answers on the tests on the other hand can be RIDICULOUS! they are usually lab calculations that are super hard to understand and if you are like me and had a brand new lab instructor who did not know how to teach students concepts well, it was a struggle. Do lab calculations practice problems and study your slides/notes. Lab quizzes are pretty hard and sometimes are just random info from the reading you wouldnt expect to need to memorize and he grades them hard. Edwards loves nutrition, but you can tell he would rather be back at one of the worked zoos he has worked at as the "head nutritionist" that he will talk about practically every class.

I took this class Fall 2017 and Dr. Edwards is probably the best professor I have ever had. I had heard horror stories about nutrition but it ended up being one of my favorite classes. His class consisted of 3 midterms and a final, but he drops your lowest test score so the final is technically optional if you’re happy with your grade. His lectures are interesting and he works very hard to make sure every student understands the information, and he posts the slides on polylearn right after each class. The only part of this class I didn’t like was the lab, as the graduate student who taught it was unorganized and didn’t seem to fully understand the information. Each lab had a relatively easy quiz based on the reading(which I never did) but I did use the info from lectures to help me on the quizzes. The lab practical was quite difficult and required a lot of studying, especially identifying the different feeds. The midterms can be a bit challenging, as he tries to trick you with his questions and there are some hard free responses, but I got As on every one with very minimal studying. If you go to lecture, take good notes, and put in a tiny bit of effort, you will be fine in this class. Dr. Edwards wants his students to understand the material and do well.

This class seems very easy at first because the first midterm is almost all common knowledge but after that the tests, at least for me got tricky. Midterms are only around 30 questions each so you can only miss a few to get a good grade. There are 3 midterms and a final but he drops your lowest grade which is nice. Lecture with him overall wasn't that bad, he was always happy and tried to answer questions to the best of his ability. However, I also had him for the lab portion of the class and that is where he lost me. He was not good at explaining how to do calculations and even asking him how to do things he was super unhelpful. The grading made no sense on assignments in lab but there are reading quizzes that can help boost your grade. It is hard to calculate your grade for the class because he doesn't use PolyLearn and refuses to but also on assignments either him or his TA never put how many points the whole thing it was worth. So it just made things complicated. The labs are boring, lecture is just another lecture but pay attention! Some people did really well in this class and others were average. I was average but hey I can move on!

Dr. Edwards is so knowledgable. I greatly admire him for all he's done in his field!! I think a lot of people get scared to ask him for help because you can never really tell if he's angry, happy, etc.. I didn't go to office hours until week 7 and I regret it. He was so helpful and really gave me a deeper understanding one on one, plus he's really patient. That being said, his tests really test your ability of comprehension of nutrition. Take notes on everything, don't ever miss class, and make sure you read the questions CAREFULLY. I got a B+ and if I had more thoroughly read the questions, I would have gotten better scores and ultimately an A. For lab, they're pretty difficult as lab portion is boring. Ask him and his assistant for help, not your classmates! That way you can make sure to get as many points as possible. Don't underestimate the lab practical, its difficult. And actually do the reading for the quizzes!

One of the worst professors on campus. He is so arrogant and rude. Edwards will straight up tell you that you are incompetent of understanding the material. He does not stop when students don't understand and honestly cannot teach. Just because you have a Ph.D. DOES NOT mean you should be a teacher. He should probably keep hanging out with his turtles and stop teaching.

This guy is a real piece of work. Seems friendly and like a cool guy but in reality is a goddamn snake. I seriously have never had a teacher be so two-faced. He posts his lecture slides and doesn't have study guides and then his exams are nothing like his lecture slides. I wish I skipped every lecture and just read the damn textbook instead because all of my studying was useless. Also, his lab section is a damn joke and his lab test at the end which accounts for 30% of your grade is just as laced with tricks. I usually NEVE review teachers but after seeing my final and lab test scores I am seething.

Dr. Edwards came off as a cool guy at first, but let me tell you...DONT JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER. He is the worst animal science teacher in the whole department and that’s saying something. He gives no regard for his students because he lives in this arrogant bubble like we get it you worked at the San Diego Zoo. NO ONE GIVES A RIP DUDE. He gives long, boring lectures that have nothing to do with any of the exams. I studied my ass off and had very detailed notes and still got screwed. And the lab is complete bull, the lab practicum is 30% of your grade and the exams are SIXTY PERCENT. All those in favor of cooking up his pet bird, Cilantro, for some nuggets hit my line. Basically, DO NOT TAKE NUTRITION WITH MARK.

Dr. Edwards is a very knowledgable guy with a passion for animal nutrition. This makes the lectures pretty interested (considering the course subject) even if you are not that interested in nutrition. He presents everything very clearly in power point presentations which he posts on black board. There are only a few chapters of required reading which is extremely easy and straight forward. His powerpoints cover everything that the book does in these sections. There are about 6-7 pop quizzes worth 10 points each. If you go to class and take notes these are fairly easy. There are two midterms and a final. This is the portion of the class that troubled me. These scantron tests are EXTREMELY difficult. Not only is the information not presented in the same way Dr. Edwards teaches it, but his format of question/answers makes a lot of room for mistake and second guessing yourself. I studied for multiple hours for all tests and the highest I got on any one was a B-. If he changed his test format he would be a great teacher.

The Dude

If you're considering the Reptile Husbandry Enterprise run by Dr. Edwards, I highly recommend it! There is a class once a week from 3:40-5:30 on Thursdays that meets at the swine units (at least as of this quarter, they may be moved soon). You have to meet at that unit for the Thursday class as well as for your regularly scheduled shift. You'll have 2-3 shifts each week that take about an hour, so this enterprise does take a bit of time out of your schedule. You gain valuable animal experience however, and Edwards makes the course extremely interesting by providing you with cool information on the leopard tortoises (which he does not test on). It is possibly most valuable animal enterprise, particularly if you're interested in zoo or animal nutrition work in the future, so I highly recommend it.

Ya'll just love to hate, and HE'd say that too! Dr. Edwards is very passionate about nutrition and knows a lot. He does expect a lot from his students but also gives a lot to his students if you are willing to work with him and not be a snooty bitch. His tests are a little hard to understand but I am sure if you went in ahead of time and asked for help he'd be glad to give it. He is a great advisor, I'd recommend him to anyone wanting to get into nutrition or exotics. He has TONS of connections and is just overall a great guy.

I'll show some love for Dr. Edwards! I'll admit his tests are a difficult format and he has high expectations of students. He is not ideal for lower level classes, but for upper division nutrition he rocks! He is a good advisor for people who are serious about the field of nutrition, and he has a lot of contacts for internships and stuff. He is willing to help you as long as you seek him out. Outside of the classroom he is actually really funny and is a lot more laid back.

I don't know why everyone is so angry at Dr. Edwards. If anything, his lab was the most challenging part of this class. He has us calculate diets and gives us some refreshers of diet calculations from 220. Other than that, we do a dissection of a horse GI tract and spend most of our labs hands-on with the nutrition horses. Dr. Edwards reuses his notes from ASCI 220 for the ASCI 346 class. So if you do fine in there, then just look to a repeat of the information in this course. His midterms and grading are the same as 220. Three midterms, which he drops your lowest one, and then has the iClicker quizzes. It's pretty straight-forward. I felt like Dr. Edwards was a bit nerdy at times but dude, we go to a Polytechnic - if you aren't somewhat of a nerd then you're lying to yourself. I didn't really study much and I got a B in the class. With some work, you can get an A. It's not a bad class and I would recommend Dr. Edwards to any of my friends.

The "textbook" is a very very dry handbook of nutrition requirements. I would highly recommend just borrowing it from someone for the few times it is required in class, and just attending lecture to obtain the materials. If you can stand reading through it, all of what he says in class is located somewhere in the maze of case studies and random stats, but again it'd be easier to just listen to his incredibly slow pace in class, and asking him to repeat things when he says a chunk of info. Lectures are pretty dry too, but Dr. Edwards is pretty enthusiastic about the course. He just doesn't really show it. Uh one thing I wasn't expecting was the random slew of quizzes at the end of the quarter. Definitely keep on top of your notes for those, but I did still pass the class after failing (like 6/20) the first couple. His tests are similar in format to ASCI 220, but we did get more of the standard multiple choice format in the second midterm. In my opinion the best way to ace this class would be to study with a friend, and compare notes so you guys can fill in what the other person missed, and completely avoid using the textbook. But if you just go to class and take as many notes as you can like I did, you'll be fine :)

Love him! Get to know him & you will too! One of my faves at Cal Poly.

DO NOT i repeat DO NOT take edwards for this class! plummer was suppose to teach my section and i got stuck with edwards. he doesnt follow his own rubrics on grading and doesnt give feedback on your assignments. i wish i had dropped this section and taken it next quarter with plummer!

So, I had heard a lot of horror stories about Dr. Edwards. But, I was pleasantly surprised. This class wasn't difficult at all, and really didn't take up much of my time. Some recommendations, really take the time to revise your resume, you will be rewarded grade wise for doing so. Also, make sure to format your posterboard correctly. The only bummer about this class is he is really picky about business professional dress. Wear nude panty hose (not black) even if you are wearing slacks. Wash your hands a million times because he notices any dirt under your nails. And really watch your skirt length if that's what you decide to wear. Otherwise, this class is pretty straightforward if you actually listen to his criticism and work on what he advises. Definitely doable to get an A!

Dr. Edwards is actually super nice. I understand why students graded him poorly before is probably because he is strict. But he is really helpful. With this class, he is willing to help us as possible to accomplish our dreams after college. He criticizes us but that helps us to be prepared by being more professional in the future such as dress codes, presentations, resumes and cover letters. I enjoyed being in this class with Dr. Edwards and he is actually is really nice if you talk to him one on one!

Prof cried today.... What a weirdo hahahah get a grip of your life.