3.1
Quality4.1
Difficulty36%
Would Retake505
Reviews36%
Would Retake
505
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
505 total ratings5
137
4
92
3
80
2
78
1
118
What Students Say
“Despite the mixed reviews, he is amazing at clarifying difficult concepts in his videos and reiterating them in lectures”
BIO114 - 5.0 rating“tests are extremely difficult and are basically riddles”
BIO114 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
78%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.80 avg changeRatings by Course
BIOL1
5.0
(1)BIO117
3.8
(4)BIO115
3.5
(2)BIOL114
3.0
(42)BIO373SUMMER
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
BIO118
4.6
BIO114
4.2
BIO117
4.0
BIOL1
4.0
BIOL114
3.9
Reviews (298)
He is a great lecturer but beware of his exams. They are worded very heavily and can oftentimes trip people up. He also gives out pop quizzes in which you do not know when he will give them, beginning middle or end, but if you read your notes from the previous lesson, a quick skim through, the morning of the next lesson, you should be fine.
Amazing professor and incredibly knowledgable in his field. Tests are VERY difficult and full of trick questions. Your TA is helpful depending on who you get, but I found that UTS is more effective for this course. You will be studying for this class all the time. DO NOT BUY THE TEXTBOOK.
he is an alright teacher but a bad person. the tests are impossible. gives pop quizzes like its his job. He yelled at me in a 450 person lecture :( the material could not be more boring.
Armstrong is an excellent teacher but where he fails are his exams and assignments. They're poorly worded making the questions difficult to understand and read while the material is straight forward. Being severely dyslexic I struggled immensely in this class no matter how well I knew the material.
Armstrong is a great lecturer and holds very interesting classes. Where this class is bad for me is the exams. This class single-handedly made me decide not to go pre-med. There are 3 exams but they are definitely the hardest exams I've ever taken. There is a curve, however, you need to study countless hours to even dream of a decent grade.
Mike is a cool dude but this class is just really hard. I'm a bio major, and I am struggling even though I enjoy the material. The tests are just worded very oddly and you have to really know the ins and outs of the material, not just memorize terms. Overall, he's pretty sweet and cares about having you do well in the class, which is respectable.
Professor Armstrong is a great professor and great lecturer. His tests are difficult, and this class definitely requires a lot of extra time and effort being put into it. That being said, his availability outside of the classroom and his willingness to help will definitely help you succeed if you put in the effort.
GO TO LECTURE. Thats the key point of this class. Hes a good professor but expects a lot of his students for it being an introductory class. He gave us 3 tests in 3 weeks. 1 being a lecture test, then a lab test, then our final. Kind of ridiculous cause we have other classes. Not recommended for first semester freshman. (bio 117 is now bio 114)
I haven't been to class a lot because attendance is not mandatory. However, there will be lecture quizzes given randomly. He is indeed a very intelligent man but he takes pleasure playing word games with students. The concepts are easy but the way he words his test makes the class way harder than it is.
Armstrong is an *Entertaining* lecturer, but fails in every meaningful way. His labs and exams are tediously/poorly worded. Insidiously, they include insignificant "bar trivia" that fail to cover conceptual lessons (ex: What was the # of Rhinos in 1900). You'll go mad wondering what to remember. Exams aren't hard -the writing is just incompetent.
Professor Armstrong , despite having to teach a hard subject, is able to communicate his lectures well and in a very interesting way. If you don't consistently study or go to lecture, dont take the class. He is such a funny and inspirational professor though, and I had a great time taking his class.
Dr. Armstrong, or the riddle master, as I like to call him is a great guy. His lectures are pretty good but his tests are very hard. I feel like he gets joy out of tricking us with his questions. Most answers have D and E as two of the above and all the above. His tests will ruin your grade, and the discussion test is a slap in the face.
Where do I begin with this guy? Incredible lecturer. Tremendous enthusiasm for this subject. Memorization does not help with his tests. I'm being serious. You are expected to know what he said in the lecture regarding examples and notes he gives, one of the few recall questions he asks. Best way to pass is to study a little bit every day.
GO TO CLASS. Try taking it in the Fall when it's MWF. His exams are HARD and you're literally going to only get half the questions right (dw, there's a curve). Go to the TAs, form study groups, don't slack later in the year. Talk to the person next to you and get their number to study. Seriously, he's good at lecture but makes hard tests.
The class content was extremely interesting, and he did a great job of lecturing. This is an introduction course and therefore an opportunity to learn an intense amount of key content and learn the biology dialogue. Get ready to STUDY STUDY STUDY. I would really suggest memorizing lecture notes, study discussion material and reading the textbook.
Had him for Bio 114 and loved him. Very smart and knows what he is talking about and answers questions well. Pop quizzes are annoying, but if you put in the work you will get a good grade. Tests are really hard, but great curve. LOVED HIM
Just like everyone says, his exams are difficult but he does curve them. The content isn't difficult, it's just the ways he asks questions.. Go to lecture since there are random quizzes. He is a great lecturer, funny guy, cares a lot about the subject, but a little arrogant. If you put in a good effort, you will do fine.
Studied so hard His curves are useless
Dr. Armstrong is a very solid teacher. His lectures aren't thrilling, but he keeps them interesting enough to make attendance worthwhile. The tests were not that difficult -- I recommend practicing reading comprehension and memorization skills. Study from past exams.
Professor Armstrong was a great professor, with great lectures and great notes. His tests were not easy but I always felt that if I put in the work I got decent results. You could tell he wanted his students who put effort in to do well. Honestly a great guy all around, would joke during lecture and generally kept it engaging and interesting.
He is a really good lecturer and makes sure you understand the topics by giving a ton of examples. His exams are extremely difficult, but if you put in the work and effort, you'll do well in the class.
A great lecturer, cares for how students are doing in the class. Answered questions completely, tried to be as unambiguous as possible in lecture. Avgs on tests were 60-70, lot of "None/2/3 of the above are correct" on tests. You are graded on a lot of things, but I wish he would ease up on exams as I couldn't put proper time in with other classes
He is a good professor but it is a difficult class. Test kinda hard no matter how much you study, average is usually around 60's but he curves them which is nice. There are pop lecture quizzes that don't count much but as long as you pay attention in class you should be fine.
Armstrong is a tough grader but at the end of the semester he adds a big curve. This class is kind of rough but if you put in the time and effort getting an A is not impossible. If you are not genuinely interested in bio his lectures may be boring. You have to really understand the concepts in the lectures and notes (not just memorize definitions)
Great professor, very knowledgable and good at lecturing. tests were VERY difficult, but they do get curved. Required a lot of effort to do well in the class
Wonderful lectures! Very hilarious person! He will put on music in the morning lectures and his tastes is good! Dont underestimate this class, daily review is necessary for a good grade. He even teach you how to study for the test. He also curves the grade. He made every tests and did them before actually giving out. Amazing professor!
Professor Armstrong is a very knowledgeable professor who knows all his stuff. However, he does make the tests and lecture quizzes difficult. In turn, he also adds generous curves to the tests and overall class. The final curve is a little confusing since he won't give solid numbers to the grade. Study and you'll be fine.
He's a condescending person plain and simple, but with that he is an amazing professor and super engaging. His tests are fine honestly most people are just a bit whiny, there is always at least one stupidly specific question but if you understand the material there is no reason to do poorly especially with is generous curve. TBH a pretty easy A.
Dr. Armstrong is without a doubt a very knowledgable professor and knows his stuff very well. However, I don't think his class is suited to be asynchronous and I personally didn't think the transition to online was seamless. I study more than a normal amount and can't seem to do well on his tests although the material is very simple.
His bio class was easily the hardest course I had to take this semester. There were endless hours of lecture, and labs which were done in groups. If you dont have a good group your grade is screwed because combined the things you have to do is worth 50%. Only other grades are midterm and final which are ridiculously hard. Study everything!
The material in this course is not hard at all. However, Dr. Armstrong likes to make the tests difficult for no reason. On exams, the questions have answers where you feel a few choices could be right or will ask you about one example from the many examples he provides in each of his lectures. This class was unfair and the curve does not help much.
This course has lecture and discussion. Lectures are usually 3 lectures a week (1.5 hours each) and discussion is so much work. Theres almost 2 assignments every week and sometimes theres homework. Theres discussion quizzes plus lecture quizzes. The quizzes &exams are not really testing you on what you know but what he talks about in lecture.
Dr. Armstrong was an amazing professor who gave great lectures. Taking this class online was difficult but if you watched his lectures and did the pre-lecture material, you can get an A. He is very helpful in his office hours and wants his students to do well. You have to work hard in his class but you can succeed!
I took Bio114 when we were online and I really enjoyed this class. Professor Sharp is very knowledgeable and a genuinely nice person. He was very accessible to students and made sure that criteria for everything was very clear in terms of our quizzes, tests, and assignments. The tests are somewhat difficult, but he is very generous with the curve.
You can tell Armstrong is a really great guy, personality-wise and he knows how to teach during lectures but his exams are EXTREMELY difficult with averages in the 50s and 60s for our midterm and final. The material is not hard, it is quite easy but his exams really hurt your grades. The curve was very nice though (:
You definitely have to stay on top of your work, and study outside of just assignments, but if you take notes on lectures and go to office hours it's not hard to get an A. The content isn't difficult and his examples are extremely helpful, but he does refer to specific examples on tests which can be tricky. The wording on his tests can be confusing
The lectures were pretty interesting. STUDY OFF HIS NOTES, some things on them aren't mentioned in lecture but fair game for tests. Discussion section adds a lot of work but since it's in a group it's ok. Tests are really hard, class average was a 60 but if you work hard on discussion work and quizzes it'll most likely make up for bad test grades.
I think he's an interesting lecturer. I wouldn't recommend watching on anything higher than 1.25x if it's a recorded course. Other than the two tests this class is pretty easy. You think the tests won't be bad, but the online style he has you take them is lowkey the woat.
Super condescending. Thinks he knows everything. Cleary unsatisfied with his career. Avoid.
I think BIOL114 was handled really poorly with the switch to completely online, he was mildly inaccessible and most of the interactions youll have are with TAs. For whatever reason, theres no textbook, which really makes it hard to soak up the content because he trails off randomly in lectures. Getting an A in this class is hard.
It times of covid only used videos to teach so it felt like you had to teach yourself the entire semester. Awful grading system and wording of questions honestly were terrible.
Inaccessible outside of class, had absolutely NO CARE for students struggling or falling behind bc of the LITERAL PANDEMIC, couldnt care less if your parents died. I spent 15+ hours of work a week on this class and got a C. Im not bad at bio, but this class was a dumpster fire. Terrible teacher, couldnt explain his concepts, workload was MASSIVE
Literally the most awful professor, with videos that lacked a clear direction and barely providing extra hours to help students. He is truly a terrible professor. He does not care that students may struggle during a pandemic academically. I would spend 20+ hours a week for this class yet still struggle. His questions always had multiple answers.
This class isn't as difficult as people say. Just apply what you learn into scenarios and that's literally it. Don't join Bio groupchats. People with weird cat profiles who don't study will constantly spread fear and spam the chats. They spend more time in chats than studying then they complain about the tests being hard. Study and be diligent.
He tends to go on tangents during lectures which makes it difficult to know what information is important. No textbook either, so you cant fill in any gaps on your own. You spend 90% of your time working on discussion but its worth like 25% of your grade. Tests are very hard to understand and are worse online. take it somewhere else if you can.
Most of the work you will do in this class is for the discussion section, which is significantly more work than how much it factors into your final grade. Most of your grade (70%) comes from tests where the questions are incredibly difficult to decipher. You've got to really grind if u want to do well, not a good experience.
Pay attention to everything he says in his lectures and you'll do fine as long as you take good notes and review them. Discussion is a waste of time but ask your TA for help whenever you have questions. Memorize the info in his lectures and remember/understand the examples he gives. This class is a lot of work, but an A is definitely obtainable.
Very interesting lectures and nice guy all around. However, tests are extremely difficult so it takes a lot of studying and work. Asks very specific questions but has a great curve. It's possible to do well if you study.
There's a bunch of unnecessary loopholes that make this class exhausting and if he were more straightforward with his teaching it would be much easier to study. In his videos he'll give you "questions to think about"/practice questions with NO ANSWERS AVAILABLE on content you need to know, then post the answers sometimes much lateronanditsconfusing
114 is at the very least better than 113 because he teaches adequately. The discussion section is probably the most annoying part and it is not helpful at all. But the worst part is the exams. Questions are so convoluted that you have to take so much time just to figure out what he is asking. Pro tip: study every week's material as it happens.
Dr. Armstrong is a decent professor. I had him for 114 and 373, and 373 was a lot easier on me for sure. 114 is really work intensive, and was really hard to keep up with at times. 373 also has a lot of assignments, but I think they are graded easier. For comparison, I got a B- in 114, and an A in 373. I think this is bc 114 is a weed out class
People seemed to dislike Dr. Armstrong's teaching style, I enjoyed watching his lectures (the work, not so much, but the material itself). Class was remote so lectures were asynchronous. Tests are not hard to pass if you watch the lectures and use reasoning. The discussion portion was very tedious and mostly all busywork. Grade relied on tests.
Dr. Armstrong utilizes the reverse classroom which I really do not think works well for this content. There are errors on his tests (spelling, grammar, no correct answers). The large amount of errors on each assignment hinders the ability to understand questions when testing. Otherwise, he is funny and doesn't assign a lot of work.
If you put in the work and learn the way he words the exams you'll be fine. He likes to trick people on the exams so read them carefully. Attendance wasn't mandatory when I took it but there were pop quizzes.
This class is basically all group work. You have to do group work every time in lecture. He posts lecture videos and notes with it that you have to read/watch before class. The material is not hard to understand but he makes the tests hard for no reason. You do get pop quizzes and he grades a few of your group work that you did in lecture.
I wanted to like Dr Armstrong. Unfortunately his ego gets the most of him. He makes it obvious from the start that this is a weed out class. Discussion class is a complete joke esp when ur stuck w/ a useless TA. The questions on the test are as if he used text to speech: full of convoluted riddles intended to trick you. Thanks for ruining my gpa.
Tests are terrible - sometimes 3 or 4 answers can apply as the answer and you have to choose the most correct answer, sometimes no true correct answer. Questions are extremely tricky and worded terribly; questions are meant to trick you and confuse you. Many grammatical errors on exams as well. You might study 10+ hours for an exam just to fail.
By far the worst professor I have had a Binghamton. Content isn't awful, but his conceptual tests are terrible. I would watch every lecture, go over old exams, and study for well over 2 days in preparation and still get a 22/40 on his tests. Final was cumulative and crazy difficult. Going to end with my worst grade I've gotten at Bing. WEEDOUTCLASS
I did not at all like the format of this semester. Instead of teaching in lecture, professor Armstrong provided us with videos from last year for us to watch on our own. This was lazy in my opinion, and was not good for my learning. Would not recommend if he's doing the class this way
Worst professor i've ever had. I can't stress how hard those exams were. Not to mention the discussion exams and lab work we did, for 6 hours of class time, we took 4 lousy credits. The ONLY reason I passed and did well, was because I had to drop a class, and switch one to an easier class. I would avoid this man, and course like COVID-19. BEWARE.
He had you watch 1-hour long lecture videos then would use lecture hour as a practice period, which is nice until you consider we have a specific discussion class for practice. He would test on specific parts in the lecture videos as well. His pop quizzes were also awful if you did not have time to watch the video beforehand. Tests are AWFUL.
Overall a nice guy but his teaching style could be better. Gives lecture videos as his form of teaching instead of teaching for most of the lecture. Very group heavy as most of your work is done with your discussion group. Tests are hard but if you study not insane, his wording on tests can be annoying sometimes. Overall an okay introductory class.
He makes a mistake on each test and rather than give points for his error he omits the question making each one worth more. So students get punished for his mistakes. He loves the reverse classroom so your "learning" is at home while in class we do useless worksheets. Best bet is learning how to read his poorly worded test rather than the material
While the content of the course and the exams can be difficult, its obvious that Armstrong cares about the content that he is teaching. While I was originally frustrated by the pre-lecture video style of his class, I learned to actually enjoy sitting down and learning the content and a pace that fits me. His sense of humor was also a highlight
i want to give you a zero but that is not possible... so i give you a one
Watching recorded videos from last year wasn't the worst. It was nice to re-watch them for review. He's an effective lecturer. Exams were awful and unfair. Most questions had tricks in them meant to trip you up, and it was multiple choice so no partial credit. Nothing was worded well: questions were omitted from every exam due to his errors.
All of the lectures were from lecture videos last year to watch outside of class so I never felt like I was actually being taught. The actual lectures aren't lectures at all- you do worksheets as a group. It didn't seem like he tried to teach us at all, and while maybe he does care about his students, I never had the impression he cared enough
Dr. Armstrongs tests are really tough, but he curves really generously. If you go to office hours, and make it clear you are trying in his class, its possible to get an A!
I would give a zero if I could. Its ridiculous that he got away with NOT lecturing and forcing us to teach ourselves even though we were in person.
Dr. Armstrong had us watch lectures and take notes outside of class and then do basically nothing in class. Pop quizzes were impossible. Tests were so hard. He is a terrible professor and he's very arrogant. Don't take a class with him if you don't have to.
Dr. Armstrong's exams are tough, but if you know the material, it's possible to do VERY well in them. He curves his exams and the course overall very generously. Key to doing well in this class is to cover all the notes and lecture videos for a particular exam, and to keep up with the lectures so that you can do well in Discussion and pop quizzes.
Tests are difficult but not impossible. There are pop quizzes and lecture assignments but he drops one of each. Both are easy so long as you consistently study. He can be intimidating in class but is actually very nice if you get to know him. The curve at the end is also very generous. If you want to do well, utilize outside resources.
This professor believes his teaching style is the only way students will learn, news flash, every student is different and learns differently. If you are not ready to teach yourself all the material, and if you're not good at analyzing material and using it, I would not recommend this professor.
His class is very difficult if you do not know the material. He class is also flipped, so a lot of lecturing is done for homework. Overall course grade and tests are both curved generously. Discussion for the class is very easy as long as your group is good. The tests also have a group portion on them, which may also be curved.
His tests are often unfair, requiring you to memorize specific anecdotes and minutiae from the lectures and notes, (flipped class structure BTW). When it comes to learning, he doesn't know what he's talking about, don't take his study advice. If he includes a random tangent about frogs, it could be on the exam, be prepared. Group work is everything
Armstrong is a very experienced professor, except he seems to have a superiority complex (his way of teaching is the only way that works). His philosophy includes no practice tests or study guides, and tests questions that are so abstract even he has trouble explaining them. Also tried to reuse his COVID distance lecture vids as "flipped classroom"
Attendance is not taken but has random pop quizzes and grades some classwork at random, so it helps to go. Tests are not based on understanding, literally just memorize his lecture videos to do well on them. If you work hard in discussion and go every week he will curve your grade. He doesn't have time to help individuals and gets mad if you ask.
Not really sure what's up with all the negative reviews, but as a student who has always struggled in classes, Bio115 with Armstrong is by far my favorite so far. He posts his notes and pre-recorded lecture videos on bright space, and as long as you read them and really try to comprehend them before class, you should be fine.
Although this class requires you to pay attention and study, the material itself isn't all that hard. Professor Armstrong is always willing to answer any questions you have, so be sure to use office hours! The tests can be brutal, but try not to overthink too much and you'll be fine as long as you're prepared.
Armstrong is a professor that will grow on you throughout the semester. He cares about his students and curves everyone's final grades to account for the difficulty of the exams. Your discussion group affects your grade much more than I would have liked, but overall this was a doable class with a very caring and capable professor.
Exam questions and quizzes are poorly written. This biology professor makes the questions really difficult and extremely confusing to the point where you have to read them 3+ times. I don't feel like I am learning biology and using the content I learned. Instead, I am just trying to understand what his questions are trying to say. Horrible
He cares about the material, is available outside of class & wants to help. But to do well on the exams you must memorize every single word and example from his online lectures (he's lazy). Discussion is bs easy. This class is a waste of time unless you love wildlife biology & way more work than it's practically worth either way
has you watch hour long lecture vids before every lecture, easy to lose attention. tests were absolutely horrible, you have to eat, sleep, and drink bio for at least a week prior if you want to do well.
He's really not as bad as people say he is. All I did was carefully read through the lecture notes and memorize them (literally the day of the exam) and make sure I understood them as well as watch each lecture video at least once in the past, and I was able to get what curves to an A on exam 2 and 3.
Armstrong is good at lecturing but his exams are the worst. The class is so stressful because you don't know if you will be passing or failing the class for the entire semester. The exams are difficult and no amount of knowledge will help you unless you are able to memorize every sentence he is saying in his lectures.
Prof. Armstrong is definitely knowledgable when it comes to Bio 114 but makes the tests extremely difficult to study for. Instead of the questions being based on knowing content, they're based on interpretation. The class is structured as a reverse classroom where students are expected to learn through his pre-recorded videos and lecture notes.
I don't know how he has a high rating. His tests are nearly impossible. The way he words questions will make you question your intelligence. He is also very rude and doesn't even spend time trying to get to know his students. You can tell he knows what he is talking about, but he does not teach it well at all.
Very difficult. Averages for exams were always near failing.
Dr. Armstrong was the worst/most condescending professor I've ever had. His method of teaching is extremely unfair. The content isn't difficult to grasp, however his exams are impossible. They are based on interpretation and reading comprehension rather than knowing the content. No matter how hard I studied, my exam grades were awful.
Armstrong uses very long online lectures that are very boring and very hard to pay attention to. His exams are worded in a very confusing manner, as if he wants you to do bad. He is not supportive at all and is essentially going against his students. The class does have a decent curve at the end of the year, but you don't know your grade all sem.
it sucks that Armstrong is the only bio114 prof bc the way he teaches is soo awful. you have to watch 1-hour long videos before lecture that are super time-consuming and he expects you to memorize all the material bc he'll test you on small details on the exam. he gives pretty bad advice for studying for his exams. at least his exams has big curves
There are many things I would like to say about this man, but let me start out with the fact I had to FIGHT for that A... in an INTRO Bio course. He gives you up to 2 hours of lecture videos and notes on top of going to an 85 minute class. Tests are terrible. Pulls examples from videos and notes with no context. This semester, an 85 curved to an A.
I don't think Dr. Armstrong is bad. The recorded lectures really help me learn the material as I can replay parts of his video to retain the info. Plus, his explanations in the videos are solid; he knows what he's talking about. IF you study hard, it is not at all hard to get an A on the tests. My only complaint is the annoying discussion class.
His exams are awful. Other than that I thought the material was interesting as well as other things he told us about research he's done. But I'm going to avoid taking classes with him again just because of those awful exams.
I absolutely hated everything about this class. For an intro to bio class, it was way too difficult. He gives hour-long lecture videos and lecture notes that you are required to read/watch before class and then doesn't teach during class. He completely wastes the lecture time and makes you stay until the end of class in case he gives a quiz.
Armstrong made this course incredibly difficult for no reason. I took AP Bio in high school and did well, yet I was struggling on his tests because of the impossible wording. I stressed about this class more than I have about physics and upper level bio classes. Read through all of the notes to study and pray you get a good discussion group
this class is 50/50. If you put in the time to watch the videos then it really helps with understanding concepts. I would definitely work on doing well in the discussion portion of the class as its a very good grade booster. His wording is very confusing so just find pratice tests that he gives, ask old students, and go online to coursehero.
The worst part of this class was that all the lectures were prerecorded, so you had to spend an hour before every class taking notes. In the lecture, you just do worksheets. I thought his method of teaching was terrible. It felt as if you had to teach yourself everything. TAKE BIOL113 FIRST
He's not the best professor because he didn't actually teach during lecture and he made us watch these 1-2 hour videos prior to lecture in order to know what the lesson was. So best advice I'll give is make "super notes" even though he doesn't suggest that, it really helps. I would also go to the lecture TA's for help cause they understand him
Awful teaching style. He doesn't teach in lectures, instead he teaches in hours of videos per week for students to watch outside of class. But he makes sure to give pop quizzes during lecture so students still have to go even though they're pointless. Puts multiple correct answer choices on tests and students are expected to choose "most right" one
Gives you lectures to watch and lecture notes to go over at home and then only reviews a portion of it in lecture at his own pace. His test questions are worded weirdly and are very easy to get tricked on so studying from previous exams is effective. While overall a sub-par class, his test curves are fair.
While this comes to no surprise, Armstrong is just yet another horrible professor in the science department. His lectures go over very little of what should be taught; he makes "non-mandatory" 1.5+ hour long videos that is "recommended" to watch before class, but he puts questions on the exam from these videos so they're basically required to watch
professors love to complain about how students motivation got messed up from covid but this man here uses 3 year old lecture videos that he 100% has not updated at all and barely lectures in class. He will literally sit back at his desk and watch students try to do his horribly worded worksheets. very arrogant and rude and lazy
Makes you watch the lecture video before class and tries to utilize the in class time for working on assignments. Some people prefer to be learning in class. He also makes his tests extremely hard for no reason, basically expects the majority of his class to get near failing grades on his tests. He is also rude and arrogant.
Horrible. Everybody thinks he deletes the bad reviews on here, thats why he has a 4.4/5. He is a horrible teacher and person with no morals.
Terrible. Pick any prof or class other than this
Dont take
Really bad. Dont take it
Just no.
Too bad this doesnt allow you to rate in the negatives
I'd rather learn bio from Hellen Keller
Armstrong has a very interesting way of teaching. Students suffer as he makes us teach ourselves everything. We watch videos as he spits out information for an hour and then have to piece it together yourself. If you go to office hours he will help explain concepts, but he likes to tell us that everything connects without giving a way to do it.
get any other professor because he doesn't want you to succeed in this class without suffering
He uses his classes as an ego boost since he needs to be the smartest person in the room at all times. He won't take fault for any of his mistakes. He doesn't care about holidays or breaks and won't provide makeups. I actually think he gets off on his students suffering. Everyone is stressed during tests and he laughs at us and squeaks his shoes.
Does not teach material in lecture, you teach yourself with hour long lecture videos from 3 years ago twice a week. The videos just spit out information and make it really confusing and what he's saying rarely matches the notes. Ive dedicated so much time and effort to studying and I still fail. This class makes me no longer want to be a bio major.
Worst class I've taken at bing. You have to watch 1-2 hour videos before class and teach yourself the material. He asks specific questions from the videos. Lecture is honestly a waste of time (Sometimes gives 3 point pop quizzes on random lecture days tho). He was happy that the test average was a 52.
+ Go to class; mans gives pop quizzes (easy tho just go to class) + watch prelecture content (so much btw like at min 2 hrs) because exams will be based off random things he mentioned in lecture and videos + very nice overall but pay attention ^^rando things mentioned in lecture will be on exams + exams question wording very hard to grasp
Professor Armstrong is the worst professor I've ever seen. Get ready to watch hours long of lecture videos from years ago before class. And then you go to lecture and he teaches for 15 minutes and gives you group work. I almost forgot to mention is pop quizzes. His tests are the hardest things I've ever dealt with. He doesn't know how to teach
He gave us tests the day we got from break and his testing style is very unconventional - he is happy with averages in the 50's. His online videos are the only things you will actually learn from, but you will have pop quizzes so going to class is essential. Overall meh.
He doesn't teach during actual classes but instead gives these excruciatingly long videos that are "recommended" to view the day before. He will ask you on the exam about specific examples he mentions once in the lecture videos. He gives exams right after breaks which is annoying. Discussion of this class isn't hard because its all busy work.
Just no. His exams are just awful and he doesn't really teach. He gives us lecture videos to watch, but it's very general information. You just need to know how to apply it after watching the videos. Beware of his exams. Material is easy to understand. It's just the exams.
This dude sucks, he's a horrible professor who doesn't even teach the class. Yeah he knows the subject but he doesn't take the time necessary to teach the class. He makes you watch hours of lecture videos before class, and they aren't even engaging. Discussion is the only thing that's remotely interesting, and he doesn't even teach it.
I took this class while it was online and I did horrible, only thing that saved me was discussion. I never understood the questions he asked on his tests... ever. Nice guy tho
Love this class, and this professor. Interesting lectures, provides videos that we can review at any time. Exams are tough but fair. Basic reading comprehension and time management skills will get you a good grade in this class.
The class itself is not hard, Dr. Armstrong just writes test questions that make the answer ambiguous and difficult to choose. Because of this, the tests are terrible and make the class much harder than it needs to be.
Tests are impossible and worded to make you get them wrong, there is no fair shot at his class honestly. Better taking this during senior year when grades are not important
he genuinely doesnt care about the mental well being of students
1 semester with him made me mentally unwell
No, no, no, aannnnndddd NO
I wanna say i think people were actually crying after his final
I think he tries to take down all the negative reviews, but the truth will prevail! this prof is nothing but careless and inconsiderate of his students
Material itself is not overwhelmingly difficult, his test are. He generates tests that are simply not fair, saying "there may not be a correct answer, there might just be one that is 'more correct'" he cannot teach for the life of him so idk why he be doing this to us
Mentally exhausted by how much he made me hate bio. Will never be taking a class with him again
That final was just not it. He better curve it. This class is not worth it
It's an intro level bio class, i dont understand why he tries to make it so much more difficult and complicated then it needs to be
I refuse to give anything over 0, but I am unable to do that so i have to put a 1.
Absolute no. avoid. avoid. avoid.
I loved this class. It was challenging at times, but learned so much! Most of the people complaining on here should probably reconsider their majors.
I don't know how he gets away with making us watch videos outside of class then spends lecture on worksheets. Having prewritten notes is nice but the lecture videos need to be updated. Exams are testing your knowledge of how he words things rather than of biology. He seems jaded with 114 and can be rude at times. He's nice if get to you know him.
Probably one of the worst professors or teachers I have had in my 15+ years as a student. Each test is extremely difficult and the average for each was just above failing (failing is a 59). The exams also have two answers, you must choose the BEST one. He boasts about the difficulty of his exams and how low the average is
Bc of this class, I am no longer a Bio major. I'm SICK of the tasmanian wolves and the caminacules (I hope they all go extinct). STOP
Be prepared to watch lecture videos prior to class because he most likely won't be teaching anything in class.
He really is not as bad as people think, you just have to work hard and really think hard about the problems, but lots of people refuse to do that. I do agree, however, that he should not limit the class only to video lectures. But he does explain things very well in the videos.
Instead of giving lecture during class, he requires that students watch his COVID-era lecture videos beforehand, then assigns busywork in class. He often comes across as rude and self-centered. Many exam questions are practically trivia about the lecture videos. Mandatory attendance is enforced with graded pop quizzes and in-class worksheets.
If you excel with asynchronous work, this course is great. I recommend copy + pasting the document notes and adding or bolding any information that's mentioned in the videos. That said, the professor doesn't go through much in lecture + his attitude is not great. To others: give actual feedback, or your review will be seen as a "skill issue".
GOATed
Best professor Binghamton has to offer! He is hilarious in class and teaches very well. Top G.
Armstrong's class uses a flipped structure. This means you are required to do nearly all learning outside the class via prerecorded lecture videos/notes. You will be asked specific questions about these videos/notes on exams. This flipped structure made the class unnecessarily hard. You are also randomly assigned one group for the semester, yikes.
jit sucks, he aint one of the boys. I grinded for just a B. L Armstrong.
This class is basically self taught, you are expected to watch his videos (1-2 hours long) and read over the notes before lecture and come in already knowing the material. He then assigns busy work during lecture which he chooses random ones to grade, and he also gives pop quizzes, making attendance mandatory. I loved biology before this class.
The class is flipped classroom style, so you have to watch hour long lecture videos the day before your actual lecture, and during class you do pointless worksheets. He starts off the semester like he's the fun, cool biology professor but you'll quickly realize he has an absurd ego and enjoys making life as difficult as possible for his students.
Tests are difficult with averages no higher than 65, and he is fully aware. Provides students with hour-long lecture videos from 2020, and expects students to watch them before every lecture, also reading sets of lecture notes that are avg 5 pages long. He will include minuscule details from these videos and notes on tests. Take a different class
Because of this class, I am no longer a bio major and no longer enjoy bio. Lectures were spent doing busy work instead of actual learning, had to watch old lecture videos which we had to memorize all the information from as there would be specific questions on the exam on those videos. Very heavy on group work, so bad group, basically bad grade.
Dr. Armstrong was an okay professor. All of your grade is counted by 3 major tests. He asks specific questions about small details and intends to trick you in these test. The class is very lecture heavy. Overall, you need to be a good test taker.
You essentially have to teach yourself, he will not teach material in lecture. The class heavily relies on groupwork, so if your group members don't pull their weight, you're in for a rough semester. Tests are extremely difficult and average grade on them is always in the 60s. Unless this class is literally your only option, take something else.
The material was easy/stuff learned in AP Bio. Armstrong made the class miserable. Class lectures=him rambling + giving group work. You watch real lectures b4 class with hour long lecture videos that you must watch bc he tests on the material. Group heavy! so if you get stuck with a bad group like I did be prepared to redo all the group work
Armstrong is a caring teacher who genuinely wants to teach bio. However I feel that he fails as that. He expects you to do hours of reading and watching a video after weeks to do a test where it asks about what he specifically said in them. This class is not about learning bio, but understanding what he wants from you.
He's a bit arrogant and most of the work is done outside of class, he doesn't necessarily lecture in class because he posts videos of his lectures and notes for you to watch. But his exams derive specific examples from his lectures and he has the occasional pop quiz for attendance checks
A lot of people hate Armstrong but he's honestly not that bad. Make sure to take good notes based on the notes and lecture videos he posts because he will ask about specific examples from them on the exams. The class requires a lot of outside work. Don't worry about pop quizzes, they don't make up much of your grade. The tests are hard, study!!!
The tests are moderately difficult if you genuinely put time into studying, often the questions are just worded annoyingly. He seems sort of lazy in that you have to waste your own time watching lecture videos outside of class to prepare for a 20 minute lecture followed by 40 minutes of work with your group. Class requires reasonable effort.
Tries to be cool, and maybe he would be, except he's a pedantic know-it-all with an ego the size of a whale. You don't have to get questions right, you have to answer them how he would. If you asked him his favourite color and he said yellow-green, and you made him a yellow-green sweater, he's the type to say "Um, this is chartreuse and I hate it".
Genuinely a professor that wants students fail to make himself feel smarter. He doesn't understand the fact that this is an INTRO LEVEL bio class, I promise there will be more classes to weed students out; idk why he tries so hard to do it now. Posts lecture videos bc he's too lazy to teach in class. Purposely words questions weirdly to confuse us.
The worst part of armstrong 114 is how group heavy it is. if your group sucks thats gg, hope you enjoy picking up their slack for an entire semester. the material isnt too hard, but you do have to know exactly how he defines words. more of a sat reading comprehension class than a bio class. do not watch his videos on 2x speed. just dont.
Worst teacher I've ever had. Aside from his unhelpful arrogant attitude, he DID. NOT. TEACH. The course consisted of watching recorded lecture videos (from 2020) before class and group work during class. He barely explained concepts and wrote impossible tests with insanely arbitrary questions. He bragged about class averages in the 40s DON'T TAKE
Tests are extremely unfair, Lecture heavy, no extra credit provided. Professor doesn't care whether you pass or fail and is extremely UNAPPROACHABLE. Make sure to work hard in your discussion regardless of the professor, the discussion is a huge part of your grade and will help boost you up regardless of tests. Definitely wouldn't take this class.
Exams are written in a very confusing way. When he gives an explanation of his answers, it tends to sound like "94% of you answered C but it was actually A if you think about it in this very specific mindset that you had no way of figuring out based on the question, fooled ya" Very frustrating to spend ages studying to get those kinds of questions.
I put so much effort into this class. I spent hours studying and got scores that I would rather not even say because they are so bad. the tests are just impossible. The material is fair but the way they are worded is so complicated. I like Dr Armstrong but his tests are so beyond me. If you take this class be aware of the tests.
Professor Armstrong is the worst professor I have ever had. The course is easy enough, but the way Armstrong articulates it makes the class harder than it should be. Most of the lectures are put into a bunch of lecture videos that consist of him spending 30 minutes on a single topic because he rambles so much. Do not take it if you do not have to.
I left this class feeling prepared for the next step. I enjoyed Dr. Armstrong's teaching style.
Took bio 114 with him last semester, thought he was an average teacher. Just took ecology with Larson and it really put into perspective how good of a teacher Armstrong really was. The amount I learned from him compared to now is insane. I actually understood the topics in his class and was able to apply them this semester. Mans gets too much hate.
I disliked the flipped-class style of the course. I feel like it's a waste of money to pay thousands of dollars in tuition just to end up teaching myself all of the material. On top of that, group interactions were present in basically every in-person aspect of the class (lec, dis). That being said, this class wasn't nearly as hard as I've heard.
I put so much effort into this class. The tests are just impossible.
This professor is very set in his ways. He does not usually teach in class so you have to take the time outside of the lecture to watch hour-long videos and read multiple page notes that he provides. He also makes the wording of the exams extremely hard to comprehend. The class is curved so heavily because people do so poorly on the tests.
I've never actually rated my professors before but here I am. I'm a neurosci major who wants to help people in a healthcare setting. Armstrong helps frames this class to reflect that practicality: you don't learn everything out there but you do your darn best to learn what you need to know. And yes, that inevitably include things you don't "like".
I think Armstrong gets a bad rap because it requires a lot of work to get a good grade in his class. I believe that he is a good guy and he wants people to truly understand the material but unfortunately that means he makes the tests pretty difficult. Take his advice and work with the material a little bit every day. It helps.
a lot of work. All the lecture content was recorded and we had to watch 1.5 hour long videos before each lecture twice a week. Then the lecture time was used for group work. discussion work has nothing to do with what's going on in lecture, like a separate class. The tests were very difficult, i barely scraped an A-. Armstrong is condescending too
He is a very knowledgeable person in the subject matter however, he does not try to teach the class during the actual lecture and limits the learning to his lecture videos only pretty much. With that being said, the tests are also worded extremely difficult, but the curve at the end is good. Discussion is also easy and worth 25% of the final grade.
Very knowledgeable in the subject area. His videos are incredibly useful and relevant with clear explanations. His tests are tricky, but everyone who finds them insanely hard do not study enough. Study and you will be fine. Go to office hours and ask for help always.
It felt as if knowing the material did not help for the test. Has very awkwardly worded questions on the test which are very hard to answer.
tests are extremely difficult and are basically riddles. the questions are stories with random and not clear information to trick you. must watch his hour long lecture videos before class. they will not help much because the tests are not straight forward. often I knew what things meant/were but that did not help on the test. (he curves)
Obviously wants us to learn, but he structures the class terribly. He gives us 1hr long covid-era videos as his "pre-lectures" (the actual lesson) and rambles about random stuff in class. Worst of all, exams felt like IQ test with overly complicated phrasing and logic required to get the right answer. Tests on stuff he doesn't even go over like ???
If you take bio 114 with him you have to prioritize the video lectures over the in person. Also, expect a lot of work bc of it. He claims he wants everyone to do well but the tests are written in a way that makes the questions hard to understand, especially in reference to what theyre actually asking.
He's not as bad as people say, but the flipped classroom was not for me. I would spend hours a week watching his videos and then go to class to learn the exact same thing. I like that there's a lot of opportunities for grades, like discussion is a (relatively) easy A and is 20% of your grade and participation is 10%. Overall, he's decent.
Despite the mixed reviews, he is amazing at clarifying difficult concepts in his videos and reiterating them in lectures. The tests were moderately difficult and tricky but not impossible if you take the time to study. He also gives generous curves on the exams and at the end of the course and drops a lot of assignments and grades so ppl do better.
He is not a good teacher at all; he does not teach during class and makes you watch lecture videos on your own time for minimum 2 hours a week on top of going to classes. Tests are very unfair. Unfortunately he is the only teacher for this course. I definitely do not recommend taking it unless you 100% need to.
Nice sense of humor & wants people to pass. Notes and lectures are online to watch before class, so in-person lecture is for group work & to strengthen understanding . Tests can be tricky but he pulls questions directly from the online lectures & notes! Curves are generous & he drops a lot of scores; ur bound to pass, just study what he gives you.
By far the worst professor I have had at this school. Huge ego for a 100-level course. Barely teaches in lecture and makes you watch "prelectures" (actual hour long videos of his Covid-era lectures) in order to understand material. Grades based on how he feels. INSANELY hard exams, you have to think how he wants you to think.
People complaining about this class clearly did not study enough or just did not understand pretty straightforward material. Armstrong gave a lot of chances and opportunities to succeed in his class and there is no excuses and no one to blame but yourself.
Great Person, a lot of work, hard tests. However, he is very generous with the curve. It is possible to do really well but you will have to work very hard. He tries to make lectures fun, and his office hours are very helpful.
As long as you do the pre-lecture work and study consistently, you'll be fine. Notes and videos are given pre class along with a pre-lecture quiz, class time was mainly for an in-class activity. Tests are all multiple choice 50 questions w/ a curve, but they are difficult covering a lot of content.
Dr. Armstrong is a nice guy, he is easy to contact if you have any questions about the class or your grade. His tests are hard, but go to Embedding Learning, they will go over the big topics and even the little things that could be asked on the exam. There are going to labs that are group projects, so hope that you get a good group.
A lot of the material comes from his pandemic-era videos that are to be watched before lecture. Make sure to jot down the specific examples from lecture and the videos, as they pop up on exams. Exams are a little tricky, and some questions are weirdly worded. Very adamant about not taking notes watching lecture videos, but I strongly suggest you do
-Personality: Gives good feedback, but he might be intimidating to some people. -Tests: 40% easy, 40% moderate, 15% hard, 5% riddles -Group Work: Based on participation, if you try you will get a good grade. Make sure your group is doing their part. -Discussion Sections: Choose a smart group or else you will be doing the majority of the work.
I cry every time I go there. Just make sure you're participating in your discussion group, do not be one of the people that never shows up and expects your group to just put your name on it. Make sure to review the night before so you could help in the in class assignments.
This entire class is unfair. Micheal Armstrong as much as he was a nice guy made it difficult to pass his tests, I studied for hours and I could not tell which answer was best suited to the questions because of how the tests were written. Participation (homework as well) was not easy. But there is a curve for EVERYTHING. so thats nice.
Spends so much time during lecture complaining about how students study...not the best teacher, not the worst
Class is preety hard if you don't know how to study properly. However if you do it becomes easier. If you read lecture notes like 3-4 times over and completely understand it you're likely to get a B-A on his exams (with the curve). Also for the final just read the lecture notes a bunch of times over.
Honestly, tests weren't as hard as some people say. You just have to pay attention to the questions. Wasnt my favorite professor but grades were curved. He will ask random questions from lecture videos.
Armstrong wasn't terrible. Lectures are used for group work and in class assignments. There is a lecture video and quiz that you have to watch before every class. His tests were difficult but some of his questions are in the lecture video and there is a curve for every test. He likes to tell you how to study but do whatever works for you.
Armstrong is a good professor, but the class is structured in a way that makes it very difficult to succeed. Lots of pre-lecture homework, feels like he doesn't teach anything new in lecture. Discussion helped my grade. Exams seem unfair and are very challenging, you have to pick the answer he would want. Massive curve on exams, due to difficulty.
Scream if you love Dr. Armstrong!!! I swear this professor must be an angel walking among us, hovering ever so infinitesimally above the ground as to appear to be walking instead of floating. If I could invite one professor to my funeral..?
Dr. Armstrong is a good professor. I feel like in a smaller class setting, he would be amazing to learn under. His exams are very difficult, but he gives a generous curve. He is always willing to help students out. The only thing that is kind of dropping the rating is that he doesn't lecture related topics in class. Almost all self-study.
Exams are VERY difficult, in the way that it feels like he tries to make students do badly. Exams are almost like puzzles. As a pre pa student, the class wasn't interesting but it almost felt satisfying to do well/ okay on exams. Armstrong is very caring when it comes to personal issues and even just overall questions. Curves exams, MUST WATCH VIDS
Rarely actually taught us during class time. Class time is used for group work. Every night before class you need to watch his "pre-lectures" which is basically just a recording of the actual lectures, and take a quiz on them. Comes off as pretentious. Discussion TA was basically useless. Tests are borderline unfair but there's an insane curve.
If you read and watch the pre-lecture material, you should but fine, but it is very time-consuming. However, the tests are brutal and Armstrong makes it obvious that he enjoys watching us struggle to take them. He does give a good curve. Lectures consist of graded groupwork, so you need to attend.
A lot of complaints from pre-med wanna be's on here. God forbid a professor make you earn your grade. Overall - tough class, but interesting.
He is a great lecturer who conveys information to students well. His tests are really difficult and test your genuine understanding rather than recall of the material, which is hard for many people they are all multiple-choice questions with confusing choices.
had pre-lecture videos that you had to do the night before and take a quiz on. class was mandatory, though half of it was him criticizing note-taking and maybe one sheet of work on the material. claims his tests are testing real understanding but were word-for-word memorization from notes. would write tests the weekend before and unhelpful TAs
I didn't do well on the first test 50% & it's difficult to get help in a lecture hall with w/300 other students but when I started showing up to his weekly office hours He really helped me through it, and I got a B-. Although he's a tough grader & tries to write test questions that'll stump you he does genuinely want to see students learn & succeed
do the pre lecture prep (but don't worry about all the videos). hopefully your group is good. Armstrong's lectures are good and his answers to questions are clear. tests are tricky. all generously curved. bc this is a v intro level course I think a lot of ppls problems w it are just because it's their first college lvl class, not prof/content
He seems like he cares about the students and is always giving tips on how to study better, as well as supplementary study material. I agree with the other students that his tests could be better though. I dislike that so much of his questions are memorization about niche details. However, his tests have a decent curve, which makes up for it.
Honestly he's a very nice guy and obviously cares about his students. Once you get a grade there's no way to bring it up, which I can respect. Tests are curved and the discussion is relatively easy. A lot of work for a 4 credit hour course ngl and I do NOT like the reverse classroom model, but oh well. I hope I can take another class w him.
His class is basically statistics, so don't expect to really be wondered by biology. His tactics are mostly memorization, so don't expect to use you're brain and expect to know what he wants you to know. You'll learn only a few things and won't want to be in this class, but its fine, just ignore the part where you're supposed to be learning
He is just flat out disrespectful to students overall. He sees students as inferior and too young to advocate for themselves. He doesn't see students as adults. He is tenured and has been there for so long that he believes that students should do well on all of his exams.
When taking this class you will notice how interesting and easy the content may seem. However don't be fooled by this. You may think you have a very good understanding of the matter. While taking the exams you may feel like you passed but with his exams, it's almost as if you never pass any of his exams.
Professor Armstrong is tough but fair. His tests are challenging, but he provides helpful tips and supplementary materials. unstuckstudy AI was a game-changer for my study prep. Overall, a rewarding class.
Is he hard? Yes. The tests are tricky and a lot of studying is required. However, this is a Biology class. It is going to be hard no matter who you have, and not only does he provide more than enough study material, but he is also an amazing explainer (especially in office hours) and provides you with everything you need to succeed.
Armstrong has to be the worst bio professor there is. Be ready for two hour-long videos before class with a quiz, in a lecture, he will not go over a single topic. He does not care about his students and considers 50 as passing. His test makes no sense; no one passes them. I'll be happy if I even pass the class. His manners are coarse.
his class is very lecture-heavy. make sure to watch the lecture videos before class or else you won't be able to help your group with the in-class assignments.
honestly, he is a nice guy. but his tests are actually MISERABLE. you can feel like you understand everything thoroughly but the second you get to the test you genuinely just feel lost. I would like his class a lot more if his tests werent designed for you to fail.
This class's test is the most frustrating one I have ever taken. Its almost like every question is designed to trick you. When you do show up to lecture he'll explain material for 15 minutes before a in-class assignment which does not prove to be helpful. He is a nice guy though outside of lecture. Lecture prep videos are your best bet for studying
Most of the learning material is based on online lectures and materials from quarantine with quizzes based on them due before each class. In class he briefly reviews over the actual lecture material and then assigns group work. The review sessions are extremely unhelpful and his only tips for studying is connection the ideas across lectures.
By far the worst course I have taken. You can understand the material well, study for days on end, and feel confident on the test to get a bad grade. He will make concepts ten harder than it has to be, making them unrecognizable on the exam.
Writes some of the worst exam questions I have ever seen at Bing. Took this as a senior after taking Physics, Biochem, Orgo etc. Ive never seen a professor so confident in his ability to teach when his ability to explain material is atrocious. Grades class on an imaginary curve that is not established properly until finals are over.
Has a flipped classroom, meaning homework was to watch recorded lectures (can be put on 2x speed) and in class was mainly group work. The tests are difficult, and some questions are taken from random examples in class. Overall, the class wasn't bad, and I liked the way he structured it by also providing notes to read with the recorded lectures.
He does a flipped classroom with videos, notes and quizzes which are really annoying but important to do well in the class. His tests are aways hard because there's a lot of material, but he curves them to make up for it. He makes the concepts more difficult than they are, but it's still possible to do well by putting in a lot of time and effort
The tests for his class are very hard, and curved. He makes you watch a “pre-lecture video” which is basically you watching an hour video which is the lecture before class. Then in class, you do an assignment. I did not care for this. He's a nice guy, but this 100 level class imo should NOT be this tough.
He's overall a nice guy, but he uses the reverse classroom method, which I was not a fan of. He doesn't teach, you have to watch his pre recorded videos and do quizzes for hw and then do group assignments in class. You're basically teaching yourself the entire semester. Tests have so much material and doesn't give you practice questions.
As someone who skipped lectures often, make sure to attend lectures to get a good grade in the class. Alot of his tests are based on what he tells you in lecture and your lecture activities. Make sure to read through his lecture notes thoroughly and have a complete understanding of the content before taking his tests, they are very difficult.
The tests are pretty hard but a lot of the material comes from the notes/videos/examples in lecture so you'll really need to go through those a lot if you want to do well. They're also curved pretty heavily, and he explains stuff pretty well during office hours.
Tests cover a lot of material with a lot of niche examples from his videos so make sure to watch them and to attend class as much as possible. He curves the tests a lot as well. Honestly, it seems on par with how much work you would need to put into an Intro to Bio class. Discussions were pretty easy as long as you have a good group.
Professor Armstrong is a great guy overall. Be sure to take advantage of his office hours. Also, be prepared for group work during lectures and make sure you're in a good group. I hope you aren't assigned to any lazy group members!
the way he writes test questions is confusing, but as long as you study you will be fine
He's not as impossible as other people seem to hype him up to be. I hated the way he does his lectures though, as he makes you watch hour long videos of his lecture before class, then does graded group activities in the actual lecture. When studying I felt like I was studying to pass his stupidly worded tests, not to learn biology.
He has hour long videos every night. His exams are tough. If you don't watch the videos you will fail the exams.
FLIPPED LEARNING CLASSROOM. Will make you watch hour long lecture videos and take a quiz on the content of said videos, then will lecture again in class. Will say not to take notes on the videos and only use his notes, DO NOT LISTEN. If he mentions a specific animal WRITE IT DOWN it may seem like its not important but it will appear on the exam.
He wasn't a bad professor, but he assigned a lot of work. He would assign 1 hour to an hour and a half lecture videos for homework twice a week, which had questions throughout. He would then teach the same lecture again in class. We would do group assignments in class, and the tests were pretty difficult, but manageable.
he is awful. He does not teach you instead he has a flipped classroom where you listen to long lecture videos and learn by “yourself”. Except this makes learning the material so much more difficult he doesn't actually teach. Very confusing. Terrible.
Dr. Armstrong may be a caring professor depending on how he feels that day. Biol 114 with Dr. Armstrong is challenging but if you complete your pre-lecture assignments on time and attend class regularly, you MAY pass. Exams are borderline unfair and you must think like Armstrong to do well. Hardest class ive taken at binghamton (im lowkey a genius)
I do not like the flipped classroom style but i thought he was good at explaining things. he is overbearing and is doing too much imo. class does not need to be this intense but compared to everything else i have taken (chem, orgo, physics, etc) this class is light work. much easier than bio 113 imo but ik thats a hot take
Genuinely nice guy, obviously passionate. REVERSE CLASSROOM MODEL: you are expected to watch lectures on topics before learning about them in class. Ignore his studying advice - take notes on the video and in lecture. Group exams, group projects, group participation in lecture - a lot of your experience in this class is how good your group is.
Seems like a really nice guy personally, so I never disliked him. His style of teaching is just so outdated, I am a big hater of the flipped schedule method of teaching which he uses. I cried during a few tests since his tests will GASLIGHT YOU TO THE EXTREME. They are also impossible to read. Tests are 100% the worst part. They're unintelligible.
What a pain. The first half of lecture is him talking about himself and sympathizes with you for dealing with the headache of a class he makes you suffer through, the second half is working with the group you're assigned to and will ultimately leave you to do it yourself if you want to get an 100% on these group work assignments. Flipped classroom.
Armstrong test were made for you to fail, don't listen to the 5/5 saying its doable. he has you watch hour video outside of class for the flipped classroom, and sometimes he just lectures in class or you do work with your group. Great curve love him for that but no get ready for work and a lot of studying that wont pay off.
I'm not a huge fan of the flipped classroom teaching style, but I honestly don't mind Dr. Armstrong's way of doing it. The lecture videos aren't too bad (watch on 2x speed). Lots of in class assignments, tests are very wordy and hard if you don't study, but he curves heavy and is one of the most caring professors I've had
IMO, Armstrong is lazy. He does a flipped classroom where we need to watch hour long videos then take 5 question quizzes. The next day in lecture, he talks for like 30 minutes then gives us a worksheet. Sometimes he won't even give us a lecture bc he thinks the content is easy. Also, the tests are extremely hard and he words them horribly.
Evil. He clearly finds joy in making his students suffer no matter what he tries to tell you. He cannot understand that if the entire class generally does way worse on a test than he "expected" that maybe it's his fault rather than ours???? Guinness book of world record for most impossible tests no matter how hard u study. Good luck.
The scene from Mean Girls where Regina George was screaming on top of her lungs and writing in the burn book is how I felt about this professor and the class. The weird wording exams, the long 1 hr+ lecture video, and 3-5 pages of notes, a joke. The review session for finals, where the prof wasn't even there & the TAs were chatting away, a joke.
One time dr Armstrong was told that because hes blonde he couldnt be a hotshot professor here at BU, but in a shocking turn of events he used his wild knowledge of hair care to be one of the best legends here. I am constantly amazed by the things he does. and am shocked at how someone so fashionable can be so smart! He also brings his little dog!
While his videos were clear and concise, I found him to be lazy and unhelpful. My time was wasted every time I went to class. No matter how much I study I can never get above a B on his exams. He's basically the riddle master and thinks that he's challenging us when in reality he just makes his questions difficult to understand.
I love his excitement and how he loves his job.
Terrible class. Never take this class. Btw sometimes he plays the trumpet in class and its really annoying.
Ignore that bottom comment "Stop majoring bio if you aren't doing well". Is the material challenging? Yes. Is it possible to learn and do well? Yes. This is coming from someone likely to fail the class, this material isn't easy so don't feel too discouraged. Armstrong is a fountain of knowledge however his tests are something..... YOU'VE GOT THIS!
Tests reading comprehension and problem solving more than biology. Poorly worded exam questions that are written to trick students. Offers absolutely zero practice materials for exams. Graded quizzes due every class and never releases answers. Will write questions based on examples that are only mentioned offhandedly in lecture. Decent lecturer.
Nice guy and good energy but his tests are very evil. He words them to trip up students but there is a curve. There's a quiz due before every class based on a few pages of notes (min 3-ish max 11-ish, avg 5) and a video or 2 (usually around an hour), and an in-class assignment.
I did not pay several thousand dollars to come and teach myself all the material. His flipped classroom teaching style is horrible for those who are not accustomed to it. Also his tests are designed to trick you. PLEASE IGNORE THE COMMENTS ABOUT QUITTING BIO IF YOU'RE NOT DOING WELL. I think it's him just writing good things about himself.
Flipped classroom isn't for everyone. Especially, when lecture videos are longg. Although it is a lot of work on your own, the class practice problems/applications and mini-lectures are helpful. Armstrong is available in office hours but oftentimes just suggests re-watching videos. Use your resources like UTS tutoring and working with your group.
It's difficult for a 100 level class, but Prof Armstrong has a lot of empathy for his students. He is very open to personally helping his students despite having hundreds of them every semester. The tests are difficult, and they're kind of excruciating if you don't complete the assignments. There's a generous curve to make up for the difficulty.
He shows a lot of care and empathy for his students, and he is clearly very knowledgeable and passionate about the subject he teaches. Don't be scared by the rigor of his class or by these reviews, but definitely be prepared to study a lot. Each assignment before lecture truly takes about 2 hours to do if you really want to absorb the information.
Creates a brand new curve at the end of the semester for final grades. If he didn't, most people would fail his class. That should tell you all you need to know.
nice guy, average professor. exam difficulty so unpredictable. not a fan of the heavy group work he does with group exams (gives your group questions from the individual exam to do together in lec). discussion too, all group. flipped classroom is MID. read his notes and rely on lec vids only for his random examples, he loves to use them on exams.
I should have enlisted instead
The reverse learning set up of this class is horrible. Be prepared for group work every single lecture with a group he picks randomly at the beginning. Tests are very difficult but passable if you put in the work. He's a good lecturer but definitely should be lecturing in person instead of in videos.
Armstrong's tests are very hard and like a puzzle that you have to piece together while in the exam room. He goes on long tangents about how his methods are superior to what you are already doing, but that advice is flat out wrong. I did a lot better studying my usual way than trying to adopt his tactics. Prepare to memorize a lot and pray.
tests are unnecessarily difficult and questions often read like riddles. don't listen to his advice and 100% take notes/study his lecture videos+posted notes (2-3 hours/week with quizzes). you need to know the material inside out to do well in this class. study after every lecture and make sure you understand how concepts are related
I liked Marcus from 113; I found Armstrong intolerable. Says his tests aren't memorization, then references niche examples from his hour-long flipped classroom videos, which are mandatory, but lecture attendance is also mandatory even though he doesn't teach anything! Condescending person and always imparts "advice" no one wants to hear.
This was by far the worst class I have ever taken. It was clear the professor did not care at all about students succeeding. No matter how hard you study you will not get a good grade. The tests have nothing to do with the context, he wants to see you fail.
His exams are difficult and almost like putting together a puzzle. You have to think deeply about the questions, and he doesn't really care if the class average was low. Still uses videos from COVID times to learn at home. If you came to class without watching it, you would be lost in the mandatory lecture class because he doesn't teach in class.
yea no. most people who take this class actually need the credit and he's the only professor so... good luck. watch the videos, answer the questions, go to class, pray for a good group. And maybe you just need a seance or do some rituals to get an A on those tests. goodnight.
I enjoyed Dr. Armstrongs class. Flipped: 1 week to watch hour-long video, read 2-3 pages notes, and do 5 question quiz, due night before lecture. Expands on those concepts in lec. Group work every lec + discussion section 1x week. Approachable and friendly in office hrs. U must put in effort. Interesting material, reasonable pace. Learned a lot!
flipped classroom style means you have to teach yourself a little bit, but very manageable and clear expectations how to succeed. get used to his question style, that's the trickiest part of exams. having a good group helps a LOT but if not just really know ur stuff and youll be fine (you can even help ur group)
Armstrong is not as bad as people think. He actually provides all the material needed to succeed in his class by posting notes, lecture videos, and prep quizzes. It is a flipped classroom course, so it is high-maintenance, but if you watch the lecture videos and take notes, this class is not bad at all.
Honestly, the worst professor I have ever had. His tests are awful and you have to spend ages just analysing what he is trying to ask you. His lectures go by quick and mainly you focus on group work in class, but it's almost impossible to understand everything right away.
Awful lectures, exams incredibly difficult, and all together worst experience of my life.
You have to teach yourself literally everything. Posts videos for every class that are an hour and a half that he likes to put on tests.
It's a flip classroom, where you have to learn and understand the material before the lecture. Most of the lecture are short, where he talks about things that he didn't go into details in the video. Exam carry most of your grades. He does curve the grade.
He makes the 100 level course feel like a 400 level course. He runs a flipped classroom model with 1-1 1/2 hour long videos before each lecture. He gets into the material thoroughly, but he makes his tests extremely hard on purpose. I definitely would not take him again, but if you're good at teaching yourself material, you'll enjoy his class.
Dr.Armstrong is a great professor. I don't think, I have taken a class in my college career where I have learned as much information as obtained in this class. DO NOT TAKE WITH OTHER HARD CLASSES. His videos are clear-cut, with the message and idea being easy to spell out. Listen to his advice about studying. This class teaches you how to study.
Knows his stuff well. REVERSE CLASSROOM: watch videos outside of class, pre-lecture quiz, 30-45 min lecture, rest of lecture is group work. 30-40% graded off GROUP WORK: group tests, in class assignments, discussion section. Test are fine: watch video, take notes, and study 3-6ish hours for exam. Need to have good group if you want to do well.
His content was so boring. He liked to use the flipped method but I did not learn anything from his practice sheets that he would give in class. His exams were brutal each question was a paragraph long of useless information and they would be 40 questions long.
Group work is very important in this class so if you don't have a good group, you're screwed. The flipped classroom model can be annoying at times but honestly, wasn't difficult to manage. He provides his own lecture notes along with the videos which is helpful. Just make sure to stay on top of your work and you will do ok.
my goat. everyone hating on him just didn't ever look at an old test before the exams. he has tricky wording, but it is a weed out class. if you know it, you will get it right. If anything having a bad group for discussion harms you more than anything else.
No live lectures and teaches exclusively through videos that are an hour long that you have to watch in your free time. Makes exams extra difficult on purpose and then gloats about it. Questions are extra wordy and read like riddles. Also gives "advice" on how you shouldn't take notes on the video and notes (they read like a textbook).
While he isn't a bad teacher, there are elements to his class I find difficult. It's very group dependent, so if you are stuck with a bad group you will struggle. He teaches mainly through hour long videos on brightspace rather than the allotted lecture time which is frustrating. Tends to go on long unrelated tangents during lecture time.
I have had to take this class twice and my opinion on the class itself hasn't changed. Armstrong is a cool dude but not a great professor. Get ready for reading comprehension alongside biology. His questions are made to make you second guess everything unless you manage to think exactly like he does. There is a curve and it helps tremendously.
You basically have to teach the entire class to yourself. He posts hour-long online videos of the lecture instead of giving one. He goes off topic in almost every class. Individual and Group exams are extremely difficult, and he is out to get you with every question. The questions are anything but straightforward and are designed to fool you.
Content not particularly challenging but class isn't designed for your success. He hides info in the lecture notes that won't show up in the lecture video and vice versa. Poses test questions with the intent of tricking you, so get ready to memorize all the info he provides. I will say he is knowledgeable and receptive to questions. curves grades
I genuinely found the material in this class very interesting and easy to understand. There is in class assignments every class and the course is heavily reliant on group work. His tests are completely impossible and like riddles. No matter how long you study, he still finds a way to trick you on the tests and you end up with terrible test grades.
All I have to say is if you don't have to take this course just don't, and if you do have to take it listen carefully. He will tell you that rote memorization will get you nowhere in the class. He is lying. So much of the exams is just direct recall of minor details or examples from lecture videos and questions are intentionally worded confusingly.
Watch the videos, take thorough notes during lectures, and pay attention to every detail being shown/said. Exams are based on videos, lectures notes, and discussion materials. Final exam is based on what he focuses most during lecture time. Rely on tutoring, office hours, discussion group, and outside materials for help. Will round grade nearest
The tests can be difficult, but there's a pretty generous curve and other opportunities in the class to boost your grade(discussion, in-class assignments, pre-lecture quizzes, etc.). I found the reverse classroom style to be ineffective at times, but it's really clear how much Dr. Armstrong cares about the course and helping students succeed.
He doesn't teach in lectures, and instead he uses lecture videos to watch at home to "Teach." I am an in-person learner, and watching videos will not help me learn. Most work is group-based, except for tests, so if you get a not-so-good group, good luck.
Majority of this classes grade was tests even though you had to put a good amount of work in for other things. Lectures weren't helpful and the material was overly complicated in the notes. The videos did help simplify things but they were way longer than they had to be (if you can get through them though he is good at teaching concepts in those).
Worst class to start college off with especially if you went to a highschool with engaged teachers. His "flipped classroom" method leaves more work for the students and less work for himself. The actually lecture sessions are comprised of him occasionally going through lecture material and then giving students group work that he doesn't grade.
3 tests + cumulative final, GO TO CLASS there is group work pretty much every single class. you cld genuinely know the material inside and out but the tests are so hard for no reason, STUDY and watch the videos, and u acc do have to take notes and memorize as much even tho he says not to. most frustrating class ever. he does curve it though
The content itself is not difficult to learn, but since his tests are based on application of the content, people tend to struggle. This was a good class to take to show that you should be understanding the material instead of simply memorizing it. Discussion, in-class lecture points, and pre-lecture quizzes will balance out your test scores.
Nice guy, not a great professor. tests are way too difficult for a 100 level class. If you think you know the content, you don't. Generous curve tho. In class assignments and lecture quizzes are usually easy assignments that will help boost your grade. office hours can be helpful if you have specific questions. Don't go to the Ta's
Dr. Armstrong would go on hour long rants during in-person lecture and wasted so much time when we could've been doing the group work. He makes simple ecological concepts more convoluted for the sake of making his exam questions a puzzle. You end up studying for hours to try and solve his "puzzle" questions instead of actually learning ://
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
78%
Textbook Required
0%
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B+
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BIOL1
5.0
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3.8
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3.0
(42)BIO373SUMMER
3.0
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4.6
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4.2
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