Michael Armstrong - Binghamton University (SUNY)

Professor: Michael Armstrong

Department: TBD

College: Binghamton University (SUNY)

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: BIO114
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

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.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: BIO114
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

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.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: BIOL114
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

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.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: BIO114
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Studied so hard His curves are useless

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: BIOL114
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

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.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: BIOL1
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

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

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: BIOL114
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

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.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: BIO114
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

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.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: BIO114
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: No
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

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.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: BIO118
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

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.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: BIO117
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

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.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: BIO118
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

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.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: BIO118
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

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.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: BIO114
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

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)

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: BIO114
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

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.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: BIO118
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

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.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: BIO114
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: No
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

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.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: BIO114
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

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.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: BIO114
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

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.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: BIOL114
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

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.