Sagun, Vernie G. teaches at Ateneo de Manila University. Across 14 comments from students, they hold a rating of 4.5 out of 5. Students score them 2.8 out of 5 on clarity, 3.8 out of 5 on helpfulness, 2.3 out of 5 on grading fairness, 3.1 out of 5 on workload and 2.3 out of 5 on willingness to retake. Of those comments, 13 read positive and 1 read neutral.
Sagun, Vernie G.
Ateneo de Manila University · 14 comments
What students said
positive 13
neutral 1
mixed 0
negative 0
Sagun, Vernie G.4.5
Background
Leans worth takingEducation · Career · Courses · PublicationsShowHide
Leans worth takingread from published reviews and public records · low confidence
Take Sagun for General Botany if you will attend and listen through an information-heavy lecture, sit quizzes and long tests, and do a final presentation. The only kept writeup is enthusiastic and says listening is enough to score well, but it is one self-described-biased truncated row, so this is lean_take rather than take. Lean away if you need a light lecture or easy long tests.
Suits
students who will attend info-heavy Botany lectures
students comfortable with quizzes, long tests, and a final presentation
Look elsewhere if
students who skip lecture and expect a light content load
students who need easy long tests
PhD · Lecturer
Plant biology (plant systematics, molecular phylogenetics, palynology, biogeography of the Malay Archipelago)
Education
PhD Plant Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Career
Lecturer, Ateneo de Manila University · Department of Biology · current
THIS IS MY TIME TO SHINE
*Disclaimer: Really biased review, classroom experience may vary from person to person*
Had Dr. Sagun as my prof for Gen Bot and Systematics and his classes are always bangers. Lectures can be overwhelming (Bot and Systematics are info heavy subjects) but most of the time, as long as you listen to him, you'll score really well in assessments.
He used to give us "podcasts" (lol) for his lectures + slides. So the usual study strategy would be: follow the slides while listening to the audio recordings. IMO this really helped, but idk if he still does it. His classes are usually comprised of quizzes + LTs + a final presentation. LTs are difficult, but kaya, and for the final presentation he grades really well.
He is really considerate towards his students and usually gives bonus points/bonus exams to help offset bad scores on assessments. Just be kind and respectful towards Doc, and you'll be fine!!
Doc is super smart +++ passionate about his field and will make the most random jokes that PERSONALLY make me chuckle all the time. One of my most memorable profs from undergrad.
Dr. Sagun's commitment to being a good educator and overall human being is just really inspiring.
IDW to say it's an easy/hard A/B+ or anything, but what I can say is he cares about his students and he cares about science. What more could you ask for in a prof?more
Anonymous
Calm lectures, heavy weekly quiz grind
positive
WorkloadHeavy
Took his lec class last sem. He's very calm and speaks slowly, which might make you bored in his sync sessions or voice recordings. Most of it was self-studying. I can't say the workload was light, since he was churning out weekly/biweekly quizzes that covered 40-100 entire powerpoint slides. The quizzes aren't hard if you're careful, but I had to do a LOT of studying. Each of his powerpoints is accompanied by a voice recording, and if you're like me you'll put it on 2x speed. For some of his activities (the ones that aren't quizzes/exams), the instructions aren't very clear, which I disliked. One activity I had to do was my own lecture in front of the class and it's best that you put effort in explaining the processes well-- concise, like he does. We said dicot instead of eudicot (my bad) and he called it cringe (I'm not joking), but the rest of his words were very kind. I did enjoy his class very much since he was funny (unconventionally), and I was only able to get good marks since I was having fun. He doesn't know a lot about Filipino pop culture, and asked if Ben&Ben were my brothers. Definitely A-able, but you have to put in work and make sure you understand the concepts well.more
Hidden Quail
You'll always end up finishing class early
positive
WorkloadLight
Disclaimer: our plant-ana class only had like 6 people so idk how he'll be with a bigger class
There may be times where you'll end up having lecture-only or lab-only sessions. But you'll always end up finishing the class early!
For lec: try to get as much personal notes as possible. He gives his slides naman but they usually lack explanation. Lec-only sessions last 2 and a half - 3 hours
Lab: easy worksheets. We do around 4 at a time but due to lack of materials, we always end up cancelling half of the worksheet contents. Lab-only sessions usually last 1-2 hours.
You'll be ayt. Sir is an expert in botany and he knows everything he teaches like the back of his palm. You might have a hard time listening to his monotonous voice though. Also, I don't think he knows Katip that well cuz one time he asked me how to get to Regis Center. He's really solid ❤more
All comments
Brave Lynx
Flexible on lab if you try and ask well
positive
very flexible also for lab! If youre polite and show youre trying he moves deadlines, provides info, and helps out as best as he can 🌷 tip: ask the right questions hehehe he will give you the answersmore
Noble Egret
Assessments are mostly objective, listen in class
positive
personally i like him, his assessments are mostly objective tho so make sure to listen to the podcasts and take note of the things he says in class bc there are some things he says na hindi kasama sa ppt hehemore
Lucky Newt
positive
Hes super solid!!!
Clever Wolf
gives quiz question types, plays Yo-Yo Ma, students lead lectures
positive
1. Gives you the question types in quizzes2. Plays Yo-Yo Ma before class3. Lets students lead the lectures (per topic)
Rapid Gecko
A-able with effort if you stay honest
positive
Retake?Yes
4.0 attainableYes
had him only for online, but sir was good to us! he gave us tips on quizzes, and his podcasts were really helpful. he may be cranky and hard to reason with sometimes, but just stay on his good side and be honest -- he values honesty. overall, very a-able with effort!more
Anonymous
Alright and A-able if you prepare
positive
4.0 attainableYes
Took him in my second semester last school year for lecture. He is alright I guess. The quizzes are alright though he had a rule wherein you have to take it the moment the quiz is out unless you have a valid reason. I sort of didn't like his main medium of teaching which was ppt with voice recordings. He discussed at a slow pace so I ended up not listening to them at all.
Overall, he's fine. A-able if you prepare well for his assessments.more
Anonymous
Question types, Yo-Yo Ma, students lead lectures
positive
1. Gives you the question types in quizzes
2. Plays Yo-Yo Ma before class
3. Lets students lead the lectures (per topic)
Icy Robin
Straightforward quizzes; class is A-able
positive
4.0 attainableYes
LeniencyYes
Hi! I was only under Sir Vernie for less than 2 months due to the pandemic, but he seems like a good prof. I had a hard time listening since I'm not a big fan of systematics. His quiz/LT questions were very straightforward and is based on both his lectures and the ppt. From what I heard from others, his class is A-able.more
Happy Llama
Gabrielle Felongco He’s SO NICE, diba? 😌🫶🏻
positive
He’s SO NICE, diba? 😌🫶🏻
Golden Lynx
One of the greatest educators out there!
positive
One of the greatest educators out there!
Kind Jay
Knows his stuff but classes run very long
neutral
Hi I had him for online! So I can’t really tell much how he runs his classes onsite!
He really knows his stuff naman but his classes tend to be pretty lengthy and I mean lengthy so ‘yun!
His quizzes can range from “kaya mo i-cram pero dapat two hours before” to “dapat nag-aral ka mga two days before the quiz”
He relies(I think) from the book but his lessons are very comprehensive so you won’t really need to go into a deeper dive to find out more about the lessonsmore
