Ian Duncan

22 reviews
Tough grader Lots of homework Test heavy Respected Skip class? You won't pass. Amazing lectures Inspirational Lecture heavy Get ready to read Clear grading criteria Gives good feedback Hilarious
Past quarters
PSTAT 296A
7 / 18 Enrolled
Intro to Research in Actuarial Science
Gareth Peters 3.4 Ian Duncan 3.0
F
12:00 PM - 13:50 PM
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PSTAT171 . 2 Years Ago

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!

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PSTAT171 . 3 Years Ago

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!

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PSTAT171 . 4 Years Ago

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.

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PSTAT172 . 5 Years Ago

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...

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PSTAT171 . 5 Years Ago

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

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PSTAT171 . 5 Years Ago

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.

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PSTAT171 . 5 Years Ago

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.

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PSTAT171 . 5 Years Ago

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

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PSTAT171 . 7 Years Ago

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

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PSTAT172 . 7 Years Ago

I got 2 A's.

1 helpful 30 unhelpful
PSTAT171 . 7 Years Ago

Professor Duncan is a great teacher for those interested in the subject he's teaching. He's very passionate. Like any other math class, if you put in the work you'll do fine. Warning: if you have the option, don't take this class in summer! I loved the material but 6 weeks wasn't enough time to grasp everything.

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PSTAT171 . 7 Years Ago

Arrogant, skips a lot of classes, makes fun of students. Lecture examples are ridiculously simple, while homework is hard, and tests are extremely difficult. Midterm average was 36% and he decided not to curve it. I did better than 70% of the class and got a B-

3 helpful 4 unhelpful