His section of the course is not necessarily the easiest because it requires thinking at a very macroscopic level plus analytical thinking especially since you are dealing with genetics. But his knowledge about genetics really shows in the lectures and he is usually very clear on what is expected of you to know. His test questions are fair also.

His section of the course is not necessarily the easiest because it requires thinking at a very microscopic level plus analytical thinking especially since you are dealing with genetics. But his knowledge about genetics really shows in the lectures and he is usually very clear on what is expected of you to know. His test questions are fair also.

A lot of people didn't seem to like prof Smith, but I felt that he wasn't that bad. His lectures are pretty boring and he covers the information really fast, so it really is up to you to read and study the material on your own afterwards. I did fine in this class mainly because I already took AP Bio. His test was hard but manageable if you study.

Duncan Smith really knows his information when lecturing. In fact he knows a bit too much and the amount of info tends to confuse the student. He talks way too fast, and once again the information is insane. Tests are hard. He does have a slick British accent tho.

He's a little more difficult than Small, but again, not impossible. I also LOVED the stuff he taught us. He also tries adding his own personality (and super corny jokes that did make me chuckle at times) into his lectures which i REALLY appreciated.

The content that Smith teaches is on the more difficult side, but he explains it very well in a way I was able to understand. And his accent is the best

This course challenges students to sharpen their scientific reading, writing & communication skills. Through direct reading of scientific publications, the course covers both classic & modern molecular advancements. The midterm & final are focused on experimental design (they are take home & tough but fair). Overall, Duncan & the course are great.

When I was listening to his lecture, I would usually fall asleep (probably because it's too early in the morning). The speed he teaches the content is super fast. However, when I go back and watch the recorded lecture, he actually went over everything that 's going to be on the exam and he explains the material clearly.

Professor Smith's lectures are very informative and he tells you whether you need to know a particular slide for the midterms. The powerpoint presentation that he makes are useful and he has quite a lot of pictures in them to illustrate difficult concepts. PS: He lightens up the mood in the lecture hall by telling jokes sometimes.

Professor Smith is easier and clearer than Fitch to understand materials. Tests are not designed to trick you so as long as you study, you'll be fine.

Average lecturer, though his voice is weird and he coughs a lot? Liked his slides way more than Dr. Fitch who teaches the second half of the semester. Smith's test questions are way more straightforward and often came directly from recitation. Rewatch all the lectures and make a study guide. I only used the textbook as a last resort.

You can tell this man knows his stuff, and his lectures are full of all of it, sometimes it can even be a bit too full. I felt that the class was worthwhile and I learned a lot. The only con is it's really hard to study for the exams, because of how vast the material we cover is. Smith explains each topic very well and I recommend his class fosho.

He has an amazing voice and accent that we captivate you during your entire lecture. His test questions and homework are reasonable. He is very good with his time keeping too. Overall, a very reputable professor.

Prof. Smith is one of the best professors Ive had at NYU. His explanations are so good that I remember and can draw on his lectures when learning about similar topics in higher level classes. I truely value his way of teaching!

Great professor! Just pay attention in lectures and understand hw questions and Its pretty good. Tests are very fair bc the lectures, hws and quizzes prepare you very well.

Tests are easy if you pay attention. Very good professor, teaches very well.

Lectures are long and a little bit boring ngl but if you pay attention for the most part, tests shouldnt be too bad

Class was very well suited to my learning style. The class itself is very generous with grading (lowest test grade-including the final-is dropped). The asynchronous lessons pretty much tells you everything you need to know. Lectures are helpful for reinforcement. As long as you do the practice tests, you'll be fine.

Duncan is a very knowledgeable professor. He taught half of PoB1 and covered the more challenging molecular sections of PoB1. He had to go quick in order to cover all the required material, and he did a nice job at it but went too fast while covering certain lab techniques. If you do poorly in this class, it's your fault, not his.

As other reviews may say, there is an immense amount of material covered in this class, but personally I felt that Professor Smith covered it rather well. Although the class overall is fairly harsh and there is little to no curve, I felt that he was very available through office hours and really knew his stuff. Would recommend, but hard course.

This dude is not a bad teacher. I've never had a professor be more straightforward about what's on the exam. People on here r either dramatic or dumb but it's an easy class.

Duncan was a great Professor. He took time out of his summer to make videos for us to watch before each lecture instead of making us read chapters. He's definitely not as bad as other reviews here make him seem, he just has tougher concepts to teach. Though he was a bit more monotone and Professor-y compared to Esteban, I'd choose to have him again

Good biology prof, lots of HW and lectures, but I feel like I left the class having learned a lot. Lots of flexibility in the syllabus.

He explains difficult concepts very well and moves at a comfortable pace. People will inevitably compare him to Esteban, but I personally preferred Duncan because he didn't explain the same concept a billion times. His slides were far more useful too (explaining mutations using a rate my professor review was particularly memorable!)

Worst class I've ever taken really wanted to just die inside literally his job is to teach but instead he makes us watch all those long videos before class as the lecture like just teach it to us so yeah wouldn't take again super dull class and teacher

Sorry, I accidentally gave 1 for another review. In my country we use 1 to mean number one teacher rating, but here is a little different. Please the actual rating is 5 star. He was my first bio teacher in America, and I will remember him. Thanks. I will try to delete old review.

Honestly don't get why he gets really bad reviews. He's not the best lecturer in the world, but he explains the topics in-depth. He probably has worse reviews because the topics he covers tend to be more difficult.

This was certainly not an easy class, but I learned so much. The material from this class helps so much when it comes to getting involved in research. His lectures were not the most engaging, but this is mostly because he has to cover so much information in such a small amount of time. He only gets bad reviews since he covers the harder material.

I honestly think he was a very clear and detailed lecturer. He taught more difficult concepts and managed to make them digestible. I respect him as a Professor a lot.

Bro ain't even that hard lmao. just get good.

Everyone in these comments are tripping. 50% of the grade for this class is Quizzes and Homeworks that have no time limit and are open book. Attendance is 8%. If you memorize the asynchronous lectures and make sure you take brief notes on all the synchronous lecture material not covered in the asynchronous lectures you will get an A or A-.

Hard but worth it. YOU LEARNED A LOT in his lecture and you will gradually love what you learned. Need a week-lengthy preparation for midterms actually but if you do well on midterms SKIP THE FINAL!!! I did that for POB1&2.

I think for a lot of people this is their first college course and it can be overwhelming. Duncan was good and concise about his material. Take the time to take good notes on the videos and try not to cram the videos into one Sunday night and this course should be very doable. GO TO CLASS IN PERSON, I cannot stress enough how important this is.

This professor is quite literally the BEST biology professor at NYU! His lectures are really, really important and help you understand the material. There's a lot of work for the course, but it's not really that bad once you get into the whole cycle. You honestly don't even have to read the textbook! Overall, awesome guy.

Professor Smith really cares about us as students and that we succeed in his course, taking time to describe unique examples and analogies that add flavor to lectures and promote understanding. He is also very accessible through office hours and will give individual attention to any student who shows up. LOVE the guy.

Great guy. Some questions from PollEV or practice exam that he supplies do not make sense with a quick glance. You NEED to participate actively in order to do well. Here are my tips to do well: volunteer in recitation, go to his office hours, & study effectively. Do NOT memorize the info. Apply the info in all of the different scenarios. Good luck!

Goes out of his way to make sure his students really UNDERSTAND the concepts of biology, not just memorize or repeat stuff. Take advantage of office hours!

I liked the structure of lectures and stayed engaged because he was funny. His comparisons and metaphors made bio way easier to understand. All of the categories of grading allow at least one dropped score. Videos are required before every lecture that can be seriously time consuming and intense, but they genuinely helped me learn.

Professor Duncan was easily my favorite biology teacher by far. The material he teaches is extremely difficult, but he handles it elegantly. He is very passionate, and I was excited to be there everyday. If you love biology, and if you truly are there to advance your knowledge, Duncan is for you.

This part of the class is more system based and Duncan loves to use cancer and bigger topics to teach. The lectures might not always be super helpful, but the homework, videos, and quizzes are.

Duncan is an incredible teacher for POB! You have to watch an average of about 2 hours worth of his video lectures every week outside of class, but if you're taking good notes on them, it will take way longer. That said, those videos were so informative. Long story short: the videos equip you with everything you need to know in the class.

Professor Smith gets a lot of hate because the topics that he teaches in POB are difficult. However, he is an excellent professor who explains difficult topics clearly. Although his lectures can be a bit dull as is the nature of the content, its clear that he is very passionate about biology and his work.

He's a good professor. Around 2 hours of asynchronous work to prepare for the lectures which are very helpful.

Has a lot of office hours. Lectures aren't very helpful since they are very similar to asynchronous videos, but he is funny. Videos contain most of the content, they tell you what you need to know for tests.

I miss Duncan, he should replace Barabara

A monotonous, cheesy professor that wants you to succeed in molecular biology. His lectures are mostly recaps of the weekly videos posted for the quiz, so technically they are just refreshers. His test questions can sometimes be misleading, but not as bad as the second half professor, Barbara Akum. We all agreed that we took him for granted.

his videos are helpful but really long, lecture is just the video and then a few bonus slides so i stopped watching his beforehand, but they really help for content review. overall a pretty good professor and it got much worse when barbara akum came along