3.1
Quality3.1
Difficulty44%
Would Retake94
Reviews44%
Would Retake
94
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
21
4
22
3
16
2
19
1
16
What Students Say
“The professor does a horrible job answering questions about the material and does not give clear grading criteria”
PHIL309 - 1.0 rating“Four words to describe”
PHIL309 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
30%
Textbook Required
32%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.58 avg changeRatings by Course
BIOETHI
5.0
(2)PHILO309
4.5
(2)PSYC309
4.0
(1)PHIL640
4.0
(1)PHIL309
3.2
(76)Difficulty by Course
309
4.0
PHIL358
4.0
PHIL173
3.5
PHIL309
3.2
PSYC309
3.0
Reviews (94)
Awesome teacher! The whole class is basically discussion on controversial issues. It is definitely an interesting class. He gave us 2 papers to write and 2 tests. The tests are all essay, no choices on which essay's to do, but he still gives you some credit for putting a decent opinion down to the question even if you don't know the answer.
GREAT TEACHER! Very interesting class. He grades fairly. There is a lot of debate type lectures. I recommend to anyone.
The ratings below are SO off. This professor (he doesn't even deserve that title) is off the charts! He doesn't reply back to emails, takes WEEKS to grade exams, would tell us he'd bring back papers/exams and ALWAYS forgot (and gave DUMB excuses). His syllabus was confusing and he never knew the names off hand of the articles to assign. AVOID him!
Be aware! His timing is NEVER right. If he tells you something will be posted on BB, allow almost a week until you actually see it up. Ridiculous! Never is in his office during office hours - always has some excuse as to why he wasn't there/didn't show up. He's a creeper...
Be careful with this professor! He may seem cool in the beginning, but don't be fooled! He doesn't know what he's talking about half the time, can hardly answer anyones questions, and is VERY unorganized. He does go over the study guide before exams, IF he remembers to type it up and post it on BB. Hardly used the books, waste of money.
EXTREMELY unorganized. Can't teach. Can't lecture. Hardly in his office hours when he'd say he would be. Postponed every exam and paper due date since he was NEVER on track. Took forever to give back papers and exams. Would promise to bring back these papers and exams the next class period, and would always forget. HATED him. Can you tell?
Definitely unorganized, and takes long to return papers and tests. If you can deal with that though the class is easy and minimal study as long as you pay attention in class. Curves all the essays and it is hard to fail because even if you dont know the answer to an essay question, he still gives you credit for giving a decent opinion. I enjoyed it
Uhhhhh, yyyyeeeaaa, he sucks. Doesnt offer explanations on your grades (should you ever get them back), all over the place, most of the time doesnt make much sense. 9 times out of 10 he doesnt know what the name of the article you need to read is. AVOID AVOID AVOID
HE IS A RUDE S.O.B. He treats his students like garbage. He is the most unorganized professor I have ever had, and the majority of the class ripped him on evaluations. I truly hope this guy gets FIRED! He has NO interests in his students at ALL. DO NOT put yourself through his class if you can avoid it. PLEASE! He has a bad attitude outside class.
I'm shocked by the neg. evaluations here. Prof Boyd provides a very interesting class, encourages debate, does not provide his opinion but allows debate and discussion to happen, grades fairly, and was very helpful during office hours. Textbooks are really unnecessary except the coursepack. He takes a while to grade papers but who cares?
I had a harder time with this course than i had originally expected. Professor Boyd does a great job of encouraging class discussion, but his organizational skills make it difficult to study the material for exams. I wouldn't recommend him to someone who needs alot of class structure.
Prof Boyd is not for the student who wants an easy A. For a person who needs the class but is not good at philosophy, you might want to try someone else. He grades hard, does not go over tests, and doesn't review for exams. I agree with the unorganization. He's not the best when it comes to that. BUT, he is willing to help you if you want the help.
Very good professor he encourages discussion in class, no manadatory though. He does not grade for participation. You barely have to read just skim a bit through the articles since he pretty much summarizes the whole thing for you, he just really wants you opinion on the topics. I enjoyed his class,I learned alot about ethics in the medical field.
OMG! He is the BEST professor ever!!! His lecture is not boring at all and, as someone mentioned before, he encourages students to participate in class discussion, which is fun. Go to the class and read assignments, then you are ready to go! TAKE HIM!!!
He makes the class discussions really interesting, I took him for Biomedical Ethics and the topics he chose were cool and controversial. There is a bit of reading but comeon we're talking about philosophy and you would have that for any professor you take. If you have any questions he's always available to answer and help. I TOTALLY RECOMMEND HIM !
Are there two Derek Boyds? The one I took for PHIL 309 was extremely entertaining, organized, and to the point. His exams were straightforward and he had a review section. Why all the negative comments? I can't seem to figure it out. I highly recommend him!
I'm not sure where these negative ratings came from either, because I thought Professor Boyd was a GREAT professor! He was always willing to clarify for those who didn't understand and greatly encouraged class discussions. He goes over all of the readings and has exam reviews, so all you have to do to succeed is listen!!
prof boyd was an amazing teacher, he explains what you should take from the readings very well
Everyone should notice that its evident that all of the blue faces for this professor came from one person. They are all within one month and all are written with the same random CAPITALs and use of "BB", same style of writing. Just one person who screwed up or just isnt a good student and blames the proff. Ignore those and listen to the majority.
Interesting class, I would really recommend it. Boyd has an exam review right before all tests which basically goes over the questions on the test. Pretty easy class, one paper, one presentation, 2 tests, 1 final. Fair grader, and seems flexible. Attend his class and he'll keep that in mind at the end. Overall, good class to take!
Professor Boyd is odd and off-the-wall but don't be scared away by this or the weird way things are discussed in class. All you have to do is go to class and take notes. I never read any of the book/articles but still got B's on the exams because they are easy and he has study guides that we go over before every test.
No need to buy the books, just go to lectures and take notes. Tests are basic and easy. Just read your notes and you'll do fine. He tends to just agree with students a lot, rather than providing clear answers. He changes the syllabus up a lot so try to get him to stick to dates. He is slow at returning work as well.
Great professor, really knows his stuff which is super helpful when taking notes. Take really good notes of his lectures and you will be fine for the tests, he reviews the exams the class before and it is quite helpful. Interesting class, really makes you think. Overall, wonderful professor and a pretty good class too.
I got an A and only went to class about half of the time. It is a lot easier if you do go to lecture though. Do the reading and the study guides and you will be good to go. He is a cool guy. I recommend him
Need to take good notes in class and if you read ahead the material class is not bad. Very interesting course
Professor Boyd is an awesome philosophy teacher. He speaks loudly and clearly and sifts through the material for you and extracts the most important concepts you need to grasp. Make sure to go to class and take good notes! Reading is secondary to taking notes! Exams are relatively easy with no surprises. One paper. Easy and enjoyable!
He's very structured, clear, and organized with his notes. His lectures really help you understand the material but you should read the readings he puts on blackboard before class. The lectures will help to clear what you have read. The exams are easy to get an A on if you study well but easy to not do well on if you barely study. Take him! :)
Dr. Boyd was great! Easy to talk to. Encouraged class participation but wasn't mandatory. Going to class helps because discussions make up the exam questions. Papers weren't difficult. Subject matter was never crystal clear - it's philosophy after all - but getting an A wasn't difficult if you pay attention and participate.
Took the class this Summer as an Elective Class. Easy class, Take notes. Everything is clear and comes from his notes. There were 3 Exams ( each 25%) and 1 paper (25%). I read the notes 2 days prior to the exam and got an A in this class. I never used the books. He is a great professor.
This was the worst professor I have ever had. I studied really hard and he was over critical, disrespectful, and just plain awful.
Professor Boyd is a great professor. Make sure to attend class and take good notes. It will help to at least skim the chapters/articles before class. He also has a review period before every class. Again, he is a great professor, just show him that you care.
DO NOT TAKE HIM. I took this class as my synthesis course and struggled. He's extremely hard and never posts grades. It's the end of the semester and he still hasn't posted a single grade.. He's not clear about anything and his exams are extremely hard even though he gives you a study guide. It doesn't help.
Dr. Boyd has a laid back teaching style, and is very personable and easy to approach, and willing to allow extra time to complete written work. This was a graduate level seminar, in which regular readings were required before class, and each student was required to do a class presentation on one of the main readings. Lots of stimulating discussion.
Do not take this class. It is absolutely impossible to get an A even if you are an A student. There are way too many readings and his exams are impossible to get an A on. Not worth it.
Nice professor who is strict in his way. There is no use of power point in the class. It is possible to get an A in the class but make sure you read the book. Some of the book material is kind of boring.
Professor Boyd is an awesome teacher. One of the most interesting classes I have taken with tons of discussion. People only think his class is hard because they are so used to dumb classes. He just expects you to read the assigned readings, take extensive notes, and oh yeah... ACTUALLY USE YOUR HEAD AND THINK. Take good notes and you'll do fine!
Easy A! Just read the assigned readings and take notes in class. His study guides cover everything that will be on the exam. Best bioethics teacher ever and super easy!
I recommend him for any class you can take. He is intelligent, and appreciates good work. He can tell if you are not the brightest, so do not make a spectacle of yourself unless you really know and can communicate the material. I got an A because he taught very well, graded fairly, and his lectures are clutch for the notes you will need on exams.
Boyd can be difficult to follow sometimes because he jumps around, but the class was very engaging and fairly easy (first 100 I ever got on a paper!). I know others who have struggled in his class...I think it's class dynamic that makes or breaks the class. He's very open to discussing topics at length - if you don't get it, ASK!
He's a really good, and quirky, professor. He can jump around a bit but if you keep up with the readings, you will be fine. The subject matter is very interesting, and he's enjoys leading good discussions. Take his class!
Nice professor, however does not return test grades back on a timely manner. If your really into ethics this class will be interesting, however if your not it will become boring after awhile.
Test questions are very specific, so you really need to come to every class, take good notes, do the readings, and understand the material. Multiple choice questions can be tricky. Easy grader on essays and papers, if you know the content and don't try to bluff your way through. Seems to enjoy teaching, great discussions, thought provoking.
Meh. He's nice, and this class could have been interesting, but it wasn't at all. It was unfortunately disorganized, boring busy work. And his tests are specific, bizarre multiple choice questions that are tricky. This class was okay at best.
A very interesting class, instructor was patient and encouraging. Very informative. Good class. Read ahead to get better results. His lectures will make you appreciate the world, and dialectical thinking.
His bioethics is easy IF you get involved in class discussions. Test questions are fairly specific (this philosopher believed X with regard to abortion, etc.), but participation makes it much easier to remember who said what. Boyd is GREAT at answering questions and explaining, so ASK if you're lost! Office hours are a life saver.
Class was unorganized and due dates unclear. Discussion boards would disappear prior to due dates resulting in a blow to your grade. The exams were tricky and he gives absolutely no feedback on any graded work including discussion boards and exams leaving you wondering why you missed points and what concepts you misunderstood and why.
lots of book and assignments to read. exams are pretty though. Discussion posts are mandatory and a lot to put in. I wish I never take this class. It ruined my gpa.
I didn't know I hated philosphy until after I take his class. Either philosophy is terrible or him. I assume it is him. Exams are full of tricky questions and discussions are very long weekly. tons of reading weekly.I wouldnt' reccommend him.
His online lectures were dynamic and interesting, that's gotta be hard when you don't have an audience! His tests were sneaky and tough, so you really have to study. (He sets aside time to meet online with students prior to tests-use it!!) The subject matter was extremely interesting. Make sure you post to the discussion board on the right day!
Exams each week and very hard because they're so specific. Each answer is exactly alike except for one little thought. Discussion boards were fine. You have to read over 100 pages each week and even then it's still hard to understand. The exams are heavily graded each 15% and highest 30%. No explanation of what you got wrong or why.
Dr. Boyd is awesome. He will take time to explain things as often as needed and keeps it interesting. I would take a class with again.
get involved, it helps you remember a lot of things. He expects us to read ALOT, but if u dont no worries, he has a study guide for his tests and he puts his powerpoints online. He talks alot and is very disorganized and unclear, tests are a bit tricky. He is really nice and helpful. 1 paper, 1 group project 3 exams (2 online) no final
Professor Boyd, is very thorough in his teaching, i took it online and we had 5 exams with him dropping the lowest one. The exams are a bit tricky because the answers are very similar in wording so you MUST read carefully. He posts study guides and even does review sessions of the study guide in which students can all live chat the class.
I enjoyed this online class. Professor Boyd is clear on grading and expectations. The weekly modules are easy to follow and his lecture videos are essential in learning the material. Watch the lectures and exam reviews they will help you ace the course. If you communicate via email any issues, he will respond quickly and help you through it.
Do the reading and you'll pass. There are 1-2 short papers and an easy group project which are graded very generously. The exams are multiple choice and might be a little tricky, but if you understand the material you'll be fine. He drops the lowest exam. Easy A, and I found the material very interesting.
Professor Boyd's online PHIL309, was a great class. Small, very specific tests every week, one small paper, and one easy group project. He drops one lowest test, which is great, because I was not expecting the questions to be that specific. Just do all of the readings and listen and take notes on lectures, and comment a lot of online discussions!
Easy A, post discussions every week, not difficult at all. Watch recorded lectures and take notes. Test are tricky but as long as you watch lecture videos, you can easily get at least B. Short paper and two presentations are also easy A as long as you follow his directions. He replies to emails very fast, helpful! + few extra credit opportunities!
Take this class online. There's no benefit of taking it in person as I used his online lectures to study from anyway. He was not very organized and was very hard to follow and understand. He is willing to work with students but not the best professor. Tests were short and very tricky but the papers are not hard & the presentation is easy points
Worse class ever! Is a confusing teacher, thought the topics were interesting but the philosophical jargon is almost impossble to understand! His exams are extremely nitpicky and difficult! 100 pages weekly of reading easily. Dont take
The professor does a horrible job answering questions about the material and does not give clear grading criteria. Tests are tricky, he is extremely nitpicky when it comes to grading. Overall, very frustrating class.
Four words to describe. HORRIBLE STYLE. CONFUSING PROFESSOR.
I was so lost in this class I have no idea what this dude was ever talking about. He gives a lot of free points if you just ask him, though
There was some trouble with the final but overall the class was pretty straightforward. Weekly discussion posts, 5 exams, a presentation and an essay. I thought he was a pretty generous grader considering this is a 300 level class. Tests were tricky but one of them gets dropped. Follow the syllabus & you should get full points on work.
Professor Boyd is a decent professor. While there was a mess up with the final dates, and his communication lacks slightly, he is not a horrible professor. However, his tests are slightly tricky so make sure you fully understand the material. He does take off the lowest test grade. The content itself is interesting. I would recommend.
I think Professor Boyd is not ill-meaning, but there were many points this semester that were extremely frustrating for me. It seemed like communication was lacking and the teaching style was very weak and confusing. I think professor Boyd does care for his students but some changes do need to be made.
Professor Boyd should not be teaching this class. I'm sure he doesn't mean to hurt or effect his students grades but he surely did that. There needs to be major revision to his teaching style and possibly not teach for a semester or two to focus on actually teaching a class in a correct manner. I would NEVER take this professor again. Didn't learn
The most confusing and disorganized professor I have ever come across. I did not learn a single thing in his class, thanks for wasting my tuition money. He is also very pompous and treats his students like less than people.
Tests are extremely difficult because his questions are so specific that they are not even covered in his lectures. Doesn't say why he knocks off points on papers and takes forever to grade assignments. If there is another bioethics professor, take him or her instead.
Quizzes are really hard and nearly impossible to get a good grade on even with watching his reviews and study guides. He takes a long time to grade everything. He is very nice and responds to emails. Good person not a great professor.
Get ready for biweekly quizzes! And I'll tell you the quizzes are SUPER HARD! They are based off of LONG readings so get ready to read!! The teacher himself is pretty caring and will help you with your essays and replies pretty quickly. The course itself is pretty hard but the quizzes is what really affects your grade.
awful! run!
Don't take if you're already taking other busy classes. This class made me absolutely hate this semester. The exams are timed and difficult since the weekly discussions are only based on a section of the reading and by the time the exam comes you must know what also wasn't assigned to your group as well...
I took this class online and he has to be the worst professor at Mason. He changed the syllabus at least 5 times throughout the semester simply because he was too lazy to post assignments before they were supposed to be due. He has no communication at all. Don't even bother wasting your time emailing him because he will not even bother to respond.
Professor Boyd as an individual is a cool guy, he's caring and will happily help with any questions. However, his quizzes are insanely difficult, I mean even by reading everything out in detail I still never felt prepared. I'd recommend taking this class with another professor if possible! All the other work from the course was really easy though.
Before I took this class I read all of the previous reviews and thought he cant be that bad..... trust me. The course and material, not to mention the quizzes, are THAT bad. I would not recommend this class to anyone except if you dont have any other classes to worry about. A lot of work & grading takes a minute.
Professor Boyd has insanely hard quizzes! I read his reviews and was hesitant but decided to take him anyways and I wish I wouldn't have. His study guide reviews don't help at all and the readings are up to 20 pages long. As a person, he's a great guy, but he shouldn't be teaching this course. All the other assignments are relatively easy though.
Dr. Boyd is a nice guy who isnt ill meaning but I really recommend taking another prof. His quizzes are insanely hard, and he doesnt grade things in a timely manner. I waited for a month and a half for paper and project grades to be put in. I dont know how I got an A, but this prof caused me a lot of stress this semester and I dont recommend.
He really is a nice person overall, and very accessible through email so do email him if you have any questions. For the quizzes, they can be tricky, but I've found that taking notes of the pre-recorded lectures he made for each topic really helped (I didn't even use the actual readings). Grading is slow, but not a harsh grader. Just take notes!
Prof Boyd is a nice person, but he is so unorganized. At first, the tests started out not too difficult, but got incredibly hard. I don't know anyone who got over a 50% on our last exam. He also one time deleted all of our answers for a test we took online, and made us re-take it. Insanely long readings as well. Not sure how I got an A
Prof. Boyd's class was well structured, but the material was really boring and repetitive stuff that I learned in other classes. His video presentations were a little lacking too, but he explained things pretty well. Everything was super easy and straight-forward (tests, quizzes and case studies) but the final paper had little guidance.
I had professor Boyd for the course : Introduction to logic , This course was online It was one of the worst courses I had this semester.I I learned nothing and I almost failed this class. You have to struggle and teach yourself and answer the homework and take tests online without knowing anything about this course.
Professor Boyd is so sweet and truly cares about his students. He always replies to emails within 48 hours. Yes, the quizzes are very tricky, but he is very lenient with his grading for the projects and papers. I'm sorry to the people who just want answers on quizlet, you have to actually learn in this course!
Professor Boyd really cares about his students. He responds quickly to emails and is not a tough grader for projects/papers. The quizzes are tricky so you have to actually read and watch his video lectures to get a good grade. Definitely not an easy A; you get what you work for! :)
If you make an actual effort at reviewing his lectures (and probably take some decent notes) the class should be easy enough. Homework is weekly discussions (you actually say something useful for full credit) and a 4 projects (2 presentations + 1-2 papers).
Hello Stranger, I had Mr. Boyd for Phil 173 and in all in all he is a great professor and will take time out of his hands to go over any material with you or content you find confusing. Dont listen to the bad reviews �� his Phil classes are mostly online but I assure you the professor is a great communicator and all tests are from textbook.
Fall20 Pandemic/ He replies email quickly/ Recorded Lecture video for reviews of readings (helpful if you don't have time to read)/ Weekly group discussion (1-2 posts). 4 projects (2 presentations + 2 papers). 4 QUIZ (written & MC)/ He is straightforward and not tough grader. Overall, decent & not under pressure.
Didnt really handle online teaching very well. Class was asynchronous but it would have been better if he had pre recorded lectures or lecture times. No tests, grades are all based on quizzes, problem sets and supplemental assignments that he uploaded all at the end of the semester. If you have the option, dont take this professor esp online.
I understand this transition into online teaching has been difficult for everyone but Boyd does nothing to make it easier. He reads verbatim, in a monotones voice, from the textbook we are required to purchase. His examples and insight do not help and I found myself struggling to get all the information. For a 100 level class, this guy stinks.
A very knowledgeable and cool professor, I really enjoyed his class. The work isn't that difficult, just a few quizzes, papers and activities. As long as you put in effort you'll do well in the class. I enjoyed the discussions about topics a lot in his class, he really tries to communicate with students.
Towards the 2nd half of the sem, grading fell behind and at times would not respond to emails until after the assignment deadline, etc. However, he would provide the extensions due to his late response. He is a very easy grader too. Quizzes are tricky but study guides help a lot. he is the best option for this course tho.
Okay, this class was made MUCH harder than it needed to be. You definitely have to put in the work to get a good grade. By that I mean, watching lectures, study guides, review sessions, etc to do well. However, Boyd is available for office hours and is very understanding, and will help you out if need be. I just couldn't stand the quizzes.
Dr. Boyd is a great professor. The lectures are engaging as he opens up the floor for discussion and debate. There are only two papers in his class and you can knock then out in half a day if you do the readings. The multiple choice sections of the online tests are a bit of a challenge given how exact they are. Easy A if you do lecture and reading.
Prof was a harsh grader. Quizzes were extremely difficult (very few questions) so it was hard to get a good grade on them. Not very good with communication. Didn't respond to one of my emails and didn't send any announcements. Course layout was super difficult to follow making it confusing to find assignments. I would not recommend this prof.
First half of the semester, things were going pretty smoothly. Not great communication and slow grading, but not awful. Then in the final stretch he went completely MIA and didn't respond to any emails or post any assignments. Emailed the department and they handled it quickly so... hopefully he's doing ok.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
30%
Textbook Required
32%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.58 avg changeRatings by Course
BIOETHI
5.0
(2)PHILO309
4.5
(2)PSYC309
4.0
(1)PHIL640
4.0
(1)PHIL309
3.2
(76)Difficulty by Course
309
4.0
PHIL358
4.0
PHIL173
3.5
PHIL309
3.2
PSYC309
3.0