People leave bad reviews because they don't know how to effectively self-study. This is one of the skills that an actuary must have. 172B isn't bad if you know how to read a textbook and apply formulas to solve problems. That's it.

He's very funny but his math skills are questionable. If you get a good TA and you actually read the textbook then the class is a whole lot easier

do not take 171 with him. average mid term on his class is 3 out of 24.

The course and content is difficult, and the professor just reads off the materials in class, but that's because the materials he wrote for the course are detailed, and could be understood easily. The professor is really respected and sometimes humorous so it is not that bad.(171 last quarter) Update: I got A in his 172A. Very interesting course!

His grade policy is so bad! Over 50 in finals and final is very hard and dont have enough time. The curve is bad. Dont take his course!

Material builds up quickly in the course so you need to focus on the concepts. Do the homework and any practice problems he gives, you should be fine.

Professor Duncan is a nice, intelligent, and respectable person. However, he's not that good at teaching. I do understand that this is a hard class, but still, try to avoid taking his class if you can. If not, GL boys and girls...

Felt that he could've provided more info. to better prepare students. His attendance/availability could improve. Not the best professor.

Honestly, Ian is good and he is smart. Before i took his class this fall, i heard his class would be so hard. However, it's honestly not like that , if you do the midterm and final practice problems and try to throughly understand the first two chapters (time value of money and annuity), you should be fine.

He reads off the notes that he has made and puts on gauchospace so attendance isn't that required. The average on our midterm was a 29%. I thought I was gonna fail the class but ended up with a B- some maical way. It seems like if you do your homeowrk and show up to the final and midterm you'll pass. The class material is super tough and boring.

2018 summer A The final exam is very hard. he finished all the lecture in 4.5 weeks. we didn't have lecture the week before final

Duncan is brilliant but he makes this class incredibly difficult to pass. The exams weren't too hard but you get no cheat sheet during the exams for a class that is solely made up of formulas. I enjoyed the material but bombed both the midterm and final because its impossible to understand/memorize all of those formulas. Homework is a grade booster