Comments:1401 - prof. duke loves biology, that is clear. but here is what i will say - 3 exams, quizzes every tuesday, small book club at end of semester - the exams r weirldy hard sometimes - extra credit for 100% attandance - SHE WILL RANDOMLY CALL PPL OUT - she one time yalled "is that tiktok" to a girl who she though she was on her phone. the girl wasnt on her phone and it was so awk - i tried leaving her class 5 min early because (first of all, its not her business) but a friend was in a time crunch to lend me smthg i needed. and she yelled "so what your're just leaving? you're just going to bail? no thats not how this works sit back down" i was honestly really humiliated so maybe thats why i dont really like her  - Grade In Class:C+

Comments:3303 - Dr. Duke is a nice lady, and I genuinely enjoyed much of what she taught. The problem is her exams. PLEASE if you take ecology, prepare for a grade hit. I studied for ecology like studying for Jonky's biochem (where I got an A), and ecology still DESTROYED me. The high on our second exam was a 91.5. No curve, no dropped questions, nothing. For content that should be simplistic, the test questions were extremely demanding. Her powerpoints are blank, so during class you have no idea what part of her tangents to write down, and everything that we read and everything said in class were fair game. Honestly, this class could've been phenomenal if the testing was fair, but Dr. Dukes inability to write a reasonable test was insane. She knows this class is a requisite for the Biology major, and chooses to make the Bio major's lives living hell. Nice lady, decently interesting content, horrific exams.  - Grade In Class:B+

Comments:BIO 1401 - If you are a speech pathology major taking this class to get your biology credit, RUN. I would not wish this class on my worst enemy. Take biology elsewhere. Dr. Duke is the only professor option (at least she was for me) and while she is a nice person, her teaching style and class is set up to discourage students. She is condescending, aggressive, and unhelpful. The only thing that was great about this class is the extra credit she offers if you attend 100% of classes. Her workload consists of reading articles for weekly quizzes, reading a book that explains how science and Christianity go hand in hand, and taking the unit exams. She desperately needs to set up office hours, however, she only offers 15-minute Zoom calls. She does not hand any exams back. She does not assign homework. I am so incredibly discouraged by this class. Dr. Duke needs to consider student wellbeing. She has no grace, if your computer does not work for the weekly quizzes, your LockDown browser is being funky, you do not have another opportunity to take the quiz. She does allow 2 quiz drops to sort of compensate for these possible technology obstacles but she offers no compassion. She literally told my class it was because Baylor advises students to use Windows computers. This information has never been communicated to me or anyone I know by the University. My bad! Let me just go buy a whole new laptop for your quizzes. I went to every single class, studied intensely for the exams, and still did poorly. I have very strong words that I will refrain from using. This professor needs to be reevaluated.  - Grade In Class:C+

Comments:1401 - The course material isn't hard, and Dr. Duke is passionate about her area of study but often goes on rants rather than teaching the material. She doesn't assign a textbook, which is nice financially, but then she goes on rants and doesn't teach the material we are being tested on (lectures cover 90% of the exam.) Dr. Duke doesn't allow you to see quiz results even though some questions are on the exams. She doesn't have in-person office hours, only 15-minute zooms where you can review the quiz, but she recommends you don't use up her time unless you're doing extremely poor in the class. She worded the exam choices strangely, which threw off myself and fellow students. Although I knew the material, some questions were a guessing game because of her wording choice. When it came to evolution, she had us read a book about Biology and Christianity. Evolution at most Christian Universities often isn't the most unbiased. She ranted about Christianity and biology but refused to answer questions about it because science only consists of the "natural world." The exam had nothing to do with the relationship between the two, but it seemed to be all she talked about. Referring to her availability, I know it is low because she teaches many classes, but Baylor needs more professor options for this course and enough professors so the student doesn't feel like a burden when asking for help. She often calls out students for unnecessary reasons, but she is a nice professor who enjoys her field of study.  - Grade In Class:B+

Comments:Bio 1401 - Dr. Duke is a great teacher. I have absolutely loved learning about biology in her class. Even though I am not that interested in science, I always looked forward to going to Dr. Duke's class. I also really love how Dr. Duke emphasis on the idea that science does not disprove faith, and I loved how she seamlessly incorporated faith into a science class. Overall, if you keep up with the work, you will get the grade you deserve (in terms of the effort you put in). Dr. Duke will always stay after class to answer questions and its pretty easy to set up a zoom meeting with her. She is a professor who is really invested in each individual student, so I HIGHLY recommend taking her. The only thing I will say is that if you're not Christian, maybe taking a Christian Science professor may not be the best for you because we have incorporated scripture in her class (which I absolutely loved). But even if you're not Christian, she is super welcoming and just an overall great teacher.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:1401 - DO NOT TAKE HER! She was not the most helpful, and is very passionate about biology. She also has 15 minute zoom videos instead of office hours, which means I got no in-person tutorial options. Instead it was 15 minutes of her giving me study advice, which is already in Canvas. Also, evolution sucks to learn about at a Christian University. While Dr. Duke is extremely intelligent, I do not recommend taking her class if BIO is not your thing.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:BIO 3366 - DO NOT TAKE HER, I amongst multiple other students had the worst experience in her class, she is extremely biased towards her students and she has a very extreme aggressive teaching tactic. I have never received such low grades after studying for hours on end weeks in advance. I was never allowed to look over my exams which prohibited me from understanding the material further, I even felt like I couldn't email her because after I did I would receive aggressive responses. save yourself and dont do it, I would have enjoyed the material a lot more if there was a different professor. very unfair, very extreme, very aggressive and would push her own political agenda on her students, hence the bias.  - Grade In Class:C

Comments:BIO - She is one of those teachers that you hate but make you do better. One of the most helpful things that I learned from her was that you earn your grade. You HAVE to take responsibility for your own grade and she makes the clear from the beginning. I personally hated her as a person but her teaching was okay! I think I ended with an 89.5% but yet, was not bumped up. DO NOT TAKE HER PLEASE, FOR YOUR OWN HEALTH!  - Grade In Class:B+

Comments:1401 - This class. I have never studied so hard for a class to receive such low exam grades. The only thing saving me was the lab with Kaitlin Murtha and the attendance grade bump. This professor is extremely rude to students, discouraging us from asking questions and reviewing our tests. I would be scared to ask questions or even email her because she is so aggressive towards the students. The time I did email, she was extremely rude and unnecessarily demeaning. The way she phrases her questions on her exam are extremely confusing as it is A, B, C, AB, BC, ABC and the options do not correlate to one topic so if you miss one you miss the whole question. This doesn’t show our true knowledge of subjects because we could know one, but not the other. She teaches very aggressively and if you have a question she makes it seem like a hassle to answer. This last unit, she was gone for one day and had us go through a weeks worth of material by ourselves. She flies through each slide where you can’t listen and write all that you need. She did explain things fully, but made it way more confusing than it needed to be. For this being a non-major science class, it truly was the hardest class I have ever taken.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1401 - This class was not a very difficult class. The way it is setup is that you can get an A in the class without a whole lot of effort. She gives extra credit on almost every exam, she also will bump your grade up an entire letter grade if you have perfect attendance. The only homework Is a reading quiz every Monday which is super quick. It usually takes less than 20 minutes and is a free 5 points. Go to class, review your notes, do well in Lab, and you\'ll end up with an A in this class with not too much work. As a professor she is one of the most passionate people I have met. She knows so much about what she is lecturing about. Super interesting person and always worked to make the lectures engaging. The only thing about that which is hard is that she does tend to get side tracked and then you don\'t know what is going to be tested on.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:BIO 1401 - Dr. Duke was a good teacher overall. The homework consisted of weekly readings with a quiz at the end of each week, which if you actually read were not hard at all. I found her tests to be super manageable if you actually took notes in class. The tests were all multiple choice which was nice. She is a super nice lady who is very passionate about biology, one downfall she had was availability. I believe she was able to meet with students over zoom but did not have office hours. Great teacher if you don't mind studying and answering questions on your own. I learned a lot and enjoyed going to class.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1401 - Okay I honestly do not understand all the bad ratings about Professor Duke. Yes- she did say some things that made me uncomfortable, but that has nothing to do with the course itself. I have never been good at biology, but Dr Duke explained it in such an easy way and in multiple ways so you would have the concept down by the test. The only thing that bothered me was that she does not allow you to come in and discuss what you missed on the test. I wish I could go back and review it with her, but she basically told us not to. Other than that, great prof.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:Evolution - She made this class unnecessarily difficult. I agree with all the other comments--the quizzes/exams were written to trip up students and she says she refuses to let you meet with her to go over questions because she's worried you'll argue for points. But if she can't defend her answer I don't know why we would be tested over it. She made the course political and would rant about things unrelated to the material for a significant amount of class time. She also takes the attitude that it is not her responsibility to teach us the material, and we are responsible to do all of that ourselves.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:1401 - At the beginning of the semester, I was very excited about this class. This is a bio class for non-bio majors, and it is a required course to take. Dr. Duke said in class multiple times that if she has not offended us by the end of this course, then she has not done her job right. (Not sure how that relates to biology) Every Monday morning we would have a 5-question quiz based on the articles she assigned. There were 3 exams and none of them were cumulative (so that was nice). I have never studied so hard, and it was very disappointing when I would put in so much time and effort to do so poorly on her exams. There was no book for this class, the course information catered to her preferences on the PowerPoints. Unfortunately, the most disappointing thing was when I did poorly on the exam and then I tried to schedule a meeting with her, but she was very reluctant to do so. She was unwilling to help me and many other students. She would say that she was too busy with all the other classes she had to teach. I asked her about recommendations for tutors in previous classes because the tutoring I received from the touting center was not helping me with her class. Her accusation that I didn't study enough was false because I have never studied harder for any other class and if she had gotten to know me as a person and student then she would know how much I struggled to achieve the grade I did. Also, Kaitlin Murtha (the bio lab instructor) was the nicest woman ever! She was always willing to help or answer any questions we had.  - Grade In Class:C+

Comments:BIO 3303 - I agree with the two posts below, Her course is set up in a way that feels like you are not set up for success. Her weekly Canvas quizzes are set up where you cannot go back and look at your past answers. Once you moved forward, you were locked in that question and could not go back and check your work, even at the very end of the quiz. This was the most frustrating part of the course, I always check my answers before I submit and I really did not like this aspect of the assignments. Additionally, the quizzes were always muted. She only opened them a few days before the midterm, so even if I got a 12/18 I could not tell what I got wrong and review it on my own time. How do you expect students to learn over the course of the semester if you only let them review their mistakes on their own a week before the midterm? It just encourages cramming right before taking the exam. Finally, she asked questions that could only be answered correctly if you resorted to rote memorization of the material on the articles she gives, not if you had a good comprehension of the ecological concepts. The only way i started improving my grades on her quizzes was when I started to memorize the useless facts and figures in the articles that I would inevitably forget after taking the course. Additionally, I took this during a COVID semester where this was listed as a MWF synchronous class, and I expected a lecture for 50min every MWF. However, this was not the case; she only offered a Wed morning 'discussion' over the material (except it was AFTER taking the quiz, so it would not even help you prepare). I could have taken her asynchronous section and gotten the same experience, and it felt like a waste of tuition money since I did not receive what I *thought* I had signed up for. The powerpoints (which also averaged about 1.5hr long but sometimes longer) explained the material pretty well, but I really wish she gave us practice problems or a textbook. I had to go with the method of just doing rote memorizing of everything I could to make decent grades on the quizzes. I could have studied and did all the work of watching the powerpoint and reading over the articles, quizzing myself, and making flashcards, and I would still make a bad grade despite seeming to understand the ecological concepts. If you are looking for an easy upper-level bio, do not take her course. I learned a lot about ecology, and I know more now than I did in January, but I am frustrated that I got such a bad grade even after putting in the work.  - Grade In Class:C

Comments:3366 - I will preface this by saying I took this class online during covid so the class might be different during a normal school year. While Dr. Duke is passionate about what she teaches and makes you interested in the material, the way that the class is set up makes things pretty difficult. For this class, we only met once a week - Wednesdays - to review the material. Each Monday we would be quizzed over the material for that week. We had to watch her lectures on our own time before we took the quiz. On average these were about an hour long, but some of them ran for two hours. However, we did not discuss the information at all before the quiz so if you had any unconscious misconceptions about the material, you wouldn\'t know until you took the quiz and did poorly. During Wednesday\'s review class, we would be put into breakout rooms to answer questions presented to us. After discussing them with the breakout rooms we\'d meet back up and discuss with the class, answering any other questions she comes up with. She also gives time during this class to ask any questions we have. I feel like I would have done better if the quizzes and review day were flipped. The first exam was pretty hard but the second one went a lot better. I recommend making a group me with members of your class and sharing review materials and studying together- that helped me for the second test. The test is weighted so that 75% of your grade comes from exams (including the non-cumulative final). The last 25% comes from quizzes and other assignments that she gives - but mostly quizzes. Overall, if you have to take her make sure you get to know your fellow classmates and help each other out when it comes to studying.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:3303 - Made an account because I could not wait for professor evaluations to open up. To be blunt. This class sucks. She may be passionate about what she teaches but she deliberately tries to trick her students. She basks how her questions are conceptual based but then decides to pick out small details from the articles for her quizzes. I took this class in an online format and it is by far the worst experience ever. Attend the class because there is information that she can test on. Tests and quizzes were all multiple choice, her quizzes were not bad but her tests for some reason was increased in level of difficulty. Overall, unless you really like ecology, I don't recommend taking her class. Do NOT take this class if you just want an easy upper-level bio.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:3303 - This class is completely doable if you just do the work. There are weekly quizzes that require you to watch the PowerPoints and read articles. Pay attention to details, especially in the articles, for the quizzes and you will be fine. The tests are not terribly difficult and mostly focus on the PowerPoint material instead of the articles. Dr.Duke is very enthusiastic and nice, and while she makes her quizzes tricky she does not make them impossible. Getting a B in this class is not hard, getting an A requires more work than I had time for this semester but it would not be super difficult either. I definitely recommend this class as Dr.Duke teaches you so much about the importance of environmental preservation and what individuals can do to help the fight against climate change.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:3303 - DO NOT TAKE HER. She is not understanding at all. If you have any outside issues going on, reaching out to her will do nothing for you. All of her quizzes are extremely picky and she chooses the most specific details from multiple articles you read per unit. There is only two exams, but every week you have a long powerpoint and a few articles to read that could be up to several pages. Do not recommend.  - Grade In Class:C

Comments:1403 01 - Sooo, I absolutely LOVE her lectures because she actually cares about this class. It was never boring because of how enthusiastic she was! buttt, her exams are pretty hard. The first exam was the easiest, but then it progressively get's harder. ESPECIALLY THE FINAL. 4/5 of the answer choices had the option of "all of the above" or "none of the above", it throws me off. I know she wants us to actually learn the material, but give me a break. Lab is pretty simple, no way you can fail it. I do suggest you take her class however, it's pretty easy compared to other labs. Goodluck!  - Grade In Class:C+

Comments:3303-01 - LOL she needs to quit playing games on these tests. Trying to trick us this whole time. These weekly quizzes? LOL one time she even stated after this quiz "ooooo I got yall with this one" like ??? are you trying to teach us or are you trying to just trick us. She picks the smallest details in her readings most of the time. Literally you'll read the whole paper over and over and over and yet you may still miss the question because she TRIES TO TRICK YOU. A) ..... B) .... C).... D) B, C E) none of the above. Her book to read Silent Springs was great, but the quizzes were just as bad as the weekly. Am I trying to learn or see if I memorized a whole reading. Oh and don't worry you also have maybe 30 seconds to 1 minute to answer the quiz questions (varies on size of question). She'll maybe consider asking "is everyone in" every once in a while. I have missed many quiz questions due to her just randomly clicking next. She even told a student "you better answer quicker next time". Also, she stated that she was fairly new to the clicker system and that if anything went wrong, it was on you and good luck. For example, a student's clicker wasn't connecting to the server and pretty much the summary to the student was good luck; better get it working next time. LIKE ?!?!?!! She needs to quit acting like she is teaching the class. She is making ecology unreasonably hard. My friends at other colleges that are required to take this course make me jealous on how nice and laid back their ecology professors are. If she wants to advocate for all these things in this class, make it fun and enjoyable NOT a killer course. I honestly strongly dislike ecology and the environment now. She has made a very salty feel in me due to the fact that I have to go above and beyond to do well rather than trying to make us actually enjoy it.  - Grade In Class:C+

Comments:Exploring the Living Wrld - This class was actually pretty interesting, but that's really only because she goes off on tangents every few minutes. She's very nice, but she cannot stay focused on the material. To make it worse, although informative, the lab is really, really pointless. You basically learn the same info from class, but it's put in really weird ways (throwing colored pasta into the grass, building "animals" out of sugar cubes). Ultimately, I would take the class, just be prepared to cram a bit harder for the tests than you normally would.  - Grade In Class:B+

Comments:BIO 3303 - Dr. Duke will say constantly that she will offend you and that she hopes she does. I think her purpose of teaching this class is to show the human impact on the environment. She wishes to broaden your mind if you yet don't know what humans have done to change the environment. Our class consisted of four exams, the last being the final that all carried the same weight. She does not drop any grades. We also had weekly quizzes over articles. We also had to read a book called Silent Spring. We had three quizzes over the book throughout the semester. The day the quizzes are taken for Silent Spring, the entire class period will consist of discussion and working in groups. These were actually my favorite days. Honestly, not a hard class. The questions on exams and quizzes, however, were sometimes difficult to understand even if you took well notes and came to every class. Word of advice, do get a good nights sleep before exams.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:BIO 3303 - It's not an "easy A" but as far as upper level bio courses go you could definitely do worse. Her tests don't cover a lot of material and her final isn't cumulative but the test questions could be tricky so you do have to know the material pretty well. She has weekly quizzes that are not bad if you do the reading. Also, I read a few reviews that mention that she will bump your grade if you have perfect attendance but this was not accurate (at least for my class). I took the lab too which I actually surprisingly enjoyed- you get to go on a lot of field trips and do a lot of hands on field work. The lab grade consists of 6 lab reports that are pretty easy except you do have to use R (a programming language) to make all the figures and do the stats but the TA does a pretty good job walking you through how to do that.  - Grade In Class:B+

Comments:1403 - Dr. Duke is super passionate about what she teaches, and I genuinely found most of the course to be interesting. But I felt like the majority of the activities we did in class and lab were just busy work (like making animals out of play-dough and petri dishes...really?), and the further along we got into the course, the more annoying it became. The material itself isn't hard to learn at all. The grades consist of weekly journal summaries, four tests, weekly lab quizzes, a group project, and a small paper. If you pay any remote amount of attention in class you won't have to study hard.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:3303 - Heard this class was an easy A, but I was disappointed with how much work it is for a supposedly chill class. Getting up for an 8AM and having weekly quizzes over articles and the assigned book is NOT fun. The tests are a little harder than necessary. I would read through the PowerPoints, but there would always be some questions that were from somewhere else - like an old article we read or something she said briefly in class. Duke is pretty nice but don't expect any curves, extra credit, etc. You have to attend class because of the quizzes. I would recommend taking another class if you need an easy upper level BIO, since this isn't worth it.  - Grade In Class:B+

Comments:BIO 1401 - Dr. Duke is a very nice lady, however, her lectures get very confusing. Her powerpoints aren't very helpful when tests roll around and she doesn't give any sort of guide to what to study for tests. Attendance is crucial because there are typically quizzes every day over readings from the night before. The quizzes aren't hard if you read but if you don't, good luck. She also assigns a book report and gives out random worksheets on certain days. Very rambunctious and outgoing personality, but hard to learn from.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:1401 - This class was mostly interesting, and also pretty annoying. Duke LOVES biology - like, LOVES it. Maybe too much? debatable. The cool thing about it is that she teaches on subjects that educated young adults should know about. The annoying thing is that she is a little loud and high spirited for 10 in the morning. Also, her exams are tricky even if you know the material back and forth. BRIGHT SIDE: if you have perfect attendance, she will bump you up half a letter grade, and she doesn't do A-'s! You got this.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:Bio 1401 - Dr. Duke is awesome. She always has great energy. She always has a smile on her face. The classwork is pretty easy to manage. There are a handful of readings you have to do before each class but they are short and usually pretty interesting. Her tests are difficult though. The questions are 90% from lecture and 10% from the readings. She gives no test review tho and her lectures are sort of difficult to follow though. She gets off track sometimes and you lose your focus. Also she'll upload the power points online but you have to fill them out during class but it's difficult to pay attention and take notes to her lecture and copy down the power points at the same time. Michael is the teacher for the lab and he is very chill. I would have a very good grade in this class if not for my poor test taking skills. The class is interesting (for a college biology class) and Dr. Duke is very energetic and passionate about what she teaches.  - Grade In Class:C+

Comments:1401 - Dr. Duke is a little crazy but very engaging in her lectures. Workload is easily manageable and assigned readings are generally very interesting. A couple things to watch out for with this class -- social boundaries are not really a thing. We were openly shown graphic pictures of STD's and discussed almost everything under the sun about the functioning of female and male anatomical systems with little to no filtering and slightly inappropriate jokes at improper times. She's also absolutely 100% paranoid when it comes to cheating and the number of times she will discuss her policies on cheating in class will drive you crazy. Her testing policy is also incredibly strict. If you're easily offended or made to feel uncomfortable, this is definitely not the class for you because she will make you mad way too often. However, for those that hate biology or science, this class is great because its manageable and Dr. Duke does a good job of thoroughly explaining content. You'll get a kick out of it.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1401 - Dr. Duke is a sweet lady (kinda) and VERY passionate about what she teaches, but this class is kind of just...annoying. She's alright at teaching, and some classes are really interesting, but sometimes it just feels like she's trying to use this class as a platform to push her beliefs down your throat. We read the book "The Language of God" which is about the compatibility of science and religion. it's really frustrating for her to harp on such a basic point over and over, when we could be learning more about biology. There are 2 or 3 quizzes over the book and a 3-4 page paper (w/ very specific requirements, citations required) assigned over the book. There are 3 tests and a non cumulative final, which are all multiple choice true false. I study my notes and the ppts for about 5 hours the night before and get As/Bs (and I'm awful at tests), so they're not terribly hard. The most annoying thing is the quizzes about once every week (instead of just telling us when the quizzes are, you have to watch for when she posts the next lecture online. That means there'll be a quiz next class.) The quizzes are at the beginning of class, scantron, 3-10 questions over articles assigned for the lecture. usually they're 2-6 pages. if you get there late you can't take the quiz. If you don't read or don't get to take the quizzes a lot it can really dock your grade. She assigns quite a bit of busy work--unneccessary worksheets, take home quizzes, etc. Overall the work I put into this class isn't worth the amount of material I'm learning, which is not a lot. However, the lab instructor is really easygoing (Michael Cotten) and the lab for this class is pitifully easy. Lots of waiting around and group work. Perfect attendance in both class and lab bumps you up a letter grade.  - Grade In Class:B+

Comments:BIO 3303 - Dr. Duke is quiet the character. Her ecology class is easy. You can fail every exam and still have a B average. The majority of your grade is from busy work- there are weekly journals and if you do not do them your grade will suffer (your journal grade and participation grade will go down). She is passionate about ecology and will make you think about the environment and what not. If you cannot stand someone who is passionate about saving the earth then do not take Dr. Duke.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:1401 - Loved everything about this class!! Read the articles, study the night before tests, show up EVERY DAY for the end of year extra credit and you will do fine!  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:BIO 1401 - Dr. Duke is one of the best professors I’ve had in my time at Baylor. She knows the science behind every topic we discuss and she’s good at making it engaging for even the students who aren’t remotely interested in Biology. I would definitely recommend this class. Some tips: read every article assigned. Print out the PowerPoints before each class. Keep up with your Language of God reading. Study the PowerPoints and articles and you’ll do pretty well on the tests. If you have perfect attendance, she will bump you up a letter grade—this is seriously awesome, and since she doesn’t do A-'s, you just have to make an 87 to make an A in the class as long as you have perfect attendance. Even though BIO 1401 didn’t really apply to my major, I found this class very interesting and it made me feel like a well-informed adult on a lot of current issues.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:Ecology - Dr Duke loves this subject and it's obvious. Sometimes her zeal overwhelms the actual material. As a whole, the class was fine. She was a good instructor and made it very clear what needed to be focused on. She went so far as to hand us potential essay question lists before the exam. Her tests come straight from the power points and articles she assigns (which are generally short 2 page things). The material isn't very hard, but if you need something, she is hard to get ahold of. She has a mild, condescending attitude and a very busy schedule. So if you have questions, good luck. If you can get over her crazy enthusiasm and "too busy for you" schedule, the class was easy enough. Personally, I liked Dr Duke a lot. Highly recommended.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:Bio 1401 - She's pretty awesome. Take her  - Grade In Class:B+

Comments:1401 - I realized early in the semester that I didnt need this class and could drop it but it was so easy and interesting I decided to keep it. She\'s so enthusiastic about the subject it keeps things fun. The tests are pretty easy, my lowest grade is an 86 with a 92 and 94 being the others. Final is not comprehensive. Readings can be annoying, because its not on a distinct schedule, just when the lecture notes go up for a section the reading for that section will be quizzed on the next class. It sucks if you forget. Theres an essay but its really easy and actually kinda fun. \'(Writing this before finals but I could have an A pretty easily)  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:BIO 1401 - Great teacher, great lecturer, great person. She assigns quizzes for each lecture based on the topic posted in Blackboard. 4 Tests, but the final isn't cumulative, and I made 90's on the tests without a ton of studying. Tests follow her lectures precisely, and are multiple choice with around 50 questions. She is very easy-going, and gives very interesting lectures. I would easily recommend this to any freshman non-major needing a Lab credit.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:BIO 3303 - Dr. Duke is a very sweet woman and very good professor. I took her Ecology class during the first summer session and she was great! I thought since I was a Biology/Premed major that I wasn't going to like this particular Biology course. She actually made the course very interesting and easy to learn. Yes, however, her tests are a bit tricky. She tends to give questions that you have to think about. Just make sure to study the material really well because sometimes she can put similar words together but only one is correct. Overall good course with a great professor!  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1306 - Honestly I don't think she is that bad. yes her class is hard but what bio class is easy?? For what I've heard she is one of the better bio profs. Lots of reading and she goes really quicky over the chapters but she LOVES the subject and cares a lot about it. The tests are multiple choice only and she covers everything that will be on the test in class. You will need to study a lot for each test but they are very do-able.  - Grade In Class:C

Comments:1306 - She is not a good Biology professor. Gives way too much homework. She makes 2 mastering biology assignments due each day you have class. One before and one after. She is not very good at explaining. She speeds through everything. She tries to cover all the chapters she is supposed to in a time crunch because she doesn't know how manage her time. She doesn't give the lecture notes before class, so basically you are sitting in class trying to copy all the notes on the powerpoint. And about her powerpoints, everything is shortened to the MAX, like a chapter that is supposed to have 75+ slides she has like 12. Everything is abbreviated so it is very difficult to understand. It would make sense if she gave the lecture notes before hand and then the students annotate and write on them, because they would do much better. But she claims that if she gave us the powerpoints beforehand no one would come to class. That is so wrong! Because even if she gave them beforehand it is not like anyone would understand the powerpoint because it is abbreviated. This lady is crazy. She has only taught this class twice, so she doesn't know how to teach it. She makes everything seem easy in class, but the tests are so hard! Do not take her. You will make your life easier by not taking her.  - Grade In Class:C+

Comments:1306 - Dr. Duke was one of the most irritating people I have come across at Baylor. Her class is one of the easier Bio class since she used to teach for non majors, but as a person and a professor she is condescending and unhelpful. Sometimes she tries way to hard to prove her point and won't accept any other belief or opinion contrary to her own, even if you present evidence that contradicts hers. Tests are 90% from lecture, 10% from the textbook. Tests aren't too bad even if you just study her power points and pay attention in class. She goes crazy with Masteringbiology and you will have up to 9 assignments due in one week (usually two per day except for Fridays). If you miss one, she will not open it up under any circumstances (even in the case of medical or family emergency). They are also always due at weird times like 8:16am or 10:51pm. Due times are ALWAYS different so you have to stay on top of it every day. Not too hard of a class, she explains things well, but as a person I couldn't stand her.  - Grade In Class:B+

Comments:1306 - She is a great professor who just test over what she covers in class. She shows her enthusiasm for the subject in the class and always leaves the class energized. She makes bio class fun.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1306 - I really enjoyed Dr. Duke's class. Her tests are 90% lecture/10% reading. During lecture, she gives really good examples and demonstrates a lot of enthusiasm. She makes it clear at the beginning of the semester, and in the syllabus, that she will not curve your grade at all. So that is expected! Her tests were fair, but for me it definitely helped to read the book. Like someone else said, her first test was a bit extreme. She gave us 66 questions to help each question be worth less, but her idea back-fired with many students being rushed or not able to finish. She generously curved that exam by 13 points, but the grades were still at a horribly low average. Without that exam, I could've managed a "B" in the class, but oh well! If you are struggling and you go to her office hours, she is very helpful. She will let you go through your last exam and help you to understand why you are missing questions and the type of question that you miss most frequently. She also offers different study suggestions that may help. After going to her office hours, my test grades went up significantly. Overall, Dr. Duke is a fun and interesting professor. I would recommend her to anyone, especially someone who hates biology!  - Grade In Class:C+

Comments:1306 - Dr. Duke is a nice lady, but not the best biology professor. Her first test was insane. It consisted of 66 paragraph long, multiple choice questions and everybody did very poorly on it. But after that, the rest of the tests, including the final were 50 questions and they were not too difficult. The workload was just too study and do mastering biology. She gave extra credit for the last two tests which helped make up for her ridiculous first test. Eventhough I was 0.4 points away from an A and did not get bumped, I still recommend the class due to its easy workload.  - Grade In Class:B+

Comments:1306 - I was less than one percent away from a C+ and she didn't give it to me. Need I say more?  - Grade In Class:C

Comments:1306 - She's one of the nicest people and definitely helps you out if you need but she'll give you the grade you deserve and doesn't give bonus/gimme points. Her tests are pretty challenging, but then again the course overall is pretty challenging. If you see a professor that is labeled as "easy A" on her... take them instead. Only take Duke if there is no such professor.  - Grade In Class:C+

Comments:BIC 2437 - Natural World I -- this course is ridiculous and shouldn't even exist. BUT having Dr. Duke as my small group professor definitely made it more bearable than it could have been. She is very nice and cares that the students learn the material. A lot of people who had had before told me that she wasn't as good as this site's ratings led one to believe, but those people were wrong, in my opinion. She was extremely helpful and casual in class, especially considering the book we were discussing (The Language of God) started some controversial conversations at times. I highly recommend her for any Biology students. BICers, I don't think she's teaching Natural World after this semester, so good luck with the course if you have to take it. Like I said earlier, this course should NOT exist.  - Grade In Class:B+

Comments:1401 - I absolutely LOVED Duke. I hate science and generally do not understand it. But she is obviously passionate about the subject and made the class fun. There are quizzes over online readings and tests that were all very straight-forward. There is one paper and a book to read, but its honestly very interesting if you're into current issues. LOTS of extra credit oppritunities too. TAKE HER!!  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1301 - This definitely wasnt the easiest class for me. She offers a half letter grade up extra credit if you have perfect attendance but.. her tests are confusing. really confusing. I studied so much and werent even able to pull out a low A. but she's such a nice person who really loves what she teaches.  - Grade In Class:B+

Comments:1401 - Duke is a jem. I HATE BIOLOGY. So in her class I'd sit there fairly pissed. All I'd do is take notes. I didn't do good on the quizzes, or turn in a 15 point assignment. Yet, the tests were sooo easy I was able to pull an A. Easiest A ever. She offers extra credit but there is no need for it. Just read the articles, attempt to read the Language of God, and take notes. Easy easy class.   - Grade In Class:A

Comments:BIC2437 - I am really surprised to read all of this professor's good reviews. At most, people in my class thought she was just "okay." Duke seemed nice on the first day and even brought us doughnuts. She said that she would start class five minutes late since it was a 9:05 class, but we needed to be on time. This seemed great until the first time I was late. I got there a minute late and she refused to give me any credit for my homework into which I invested a good amount of time. The 15 points I lost because of this was the exact amount that caused me to get a B in the class. As the semester went on, Duke seemed more agitated if any disagreed with her. It felt like it was her way or the highway sometimes. She was neither concerned about nor considerate of people who had other ideas about topics being discussed. In the end, only 3 of the 18 people in our group chose to take her again. Even some of the 3 that remained only took her for second semester because other options weren't available. Overall, almost everyone in the class discouraged their friends from ever taking her, and that is my advice to you, too.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:1401 - Dr.Duke is amazing! She's passionate about what she teaches and she teaches it well. She expects you to read assigned articles before coming to class, which is nbd, and she'll sometimes give (easy) quizzes over them. Tests are also okay, if you review the material covered in class. Easy A if you pay attention and apply yourself!  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1403 - The easiest class I have had at Baylor. This class is for non-majors and is so simple. The only thing annoying about this class is the book you have to read. It is really a 'save the world' book. The exams were so simple, all you have to do is take notes and look them over a few times. The labs to this class were actually quite enjoyable, very very simple. The only homework you have is writing journals every week. As long as you show up to class, there is no reason why your grade should not be an A. Dr. Duke is really a sweet lady and I would recommend this class to anyone. :)  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1401 - This is a very entertaining and pretty easy class for people who are bad at or previously didn't have interest in biology. Dr Duke makes lectures interesting and there is minimal homework. Don't buy the textbook, but be sure to read her assigned readings for pop quizzes. If you apply yourself at all you'll get an A.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:BIO 1401 - Profound experience. I was contemplating on taking Bioscience, but I am glad I took this course. With articles concerning present-day maladies and possible remedies, this class provides a great foundation for day-to-day knowledge. The tests were more difficult than I had first anticipated, but easy enough. The quizzes are mainly over the articles (sometimes over previous lecture material) and are easy only if read fairly closely (skimming will not always do it). The book report is easy in addition. She herself is an enthusiastic and motivated teacher. The only one I have had so far to be able to pull off using power points.   - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1403 - The tests are very easy--I got 100's or above on three of them. She puts her powerpoints on Blackboard, so taking notes is easy. The material isn't difficult, but very interesting. I loved this class. Professor Duke is very sweet and fair.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1401 - this class is NOT an easy A. if you are interested in Biology, take it. Otherwise, take an easier science course. The tests are much harder than I thought they would be. There are a lot of "multiple multiples" and her lectures are not very similar to the tests.   - Grade In Class:B+

Comments:1401 - Biology for Non-Majors--This class is NOT an easy A so don't take it unless you have to! Overall it's not too much work but the tests are difficult, lots of 'all of the above' 'A & B only' 'none of the above' etc. questions so you really have to know the material. Some of the course content is pretty interesting though, she teaches about relevant 'current issues' in biology.   - Grade In Class:B+

Comments:FAS 1407 - Dr. Duke is the BEST professor I have had at Baylor so far. She is super nice and fun. I had her for ecology, or exploring the living world. It has been my favorite class at Baylor because of Dr. Duke. She presented the information clearly and it was never boring. Her lectures were well-organized and easy to study powerpoint notes. She was always excited and enthusiastic about the material and the class. The assignments included weekly journals about articles that we read off of ScienceDaily.com, and a 6-8 page paper over the book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. The online articles were always interesting and relevant to the class and exams. The journals were basically your response to the articles and didn't have to be formal essays. The Silent Spring Paper was not difficult to write because we discussed the book in class and she was very specific about what she wanted. She did not grade terribly hard. We never had quizzes because everyone always participated in class discussions. The tests come directly from lecture, class discussion, and the assigned online articles. There was no textbook. The tests were manageable if you studied for more than an hour or two. The tests were multiple choice, matching, and essays (of a prompt that you know beforehand). I learned the most from her class than any other class that semester. Lab was not difficult and often fun because we took several field trips-Cameron Park, Mayborn Museum, and Cameron Park Zoo. TAKE DR DUKE! ESPECIALLY FOR ECOLOGY-EXPLORING THE LIVING WORLD!! YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.   - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1401 - She is a nice lady but her tests are very hard and this is a course for non-majors  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:BIO 1401 - Dr. Duke is without a doubt a great professor. She is very excited about the subject and understands the class is for non-majors. However, the tests and the lab are a nightmare. The tests are worded very hard and the lab is just ridiculous. I would recommend taking another science class because this one is too hard for non-majors.   - Grade In Class:B

Comments:FAS 1407 - I took Dr. Duke for ecology, and she was awesome! I don't even like science, but she is so engaging and definitely loves her job...the enthusiasm just kind of catches on. We only had 3 tests, which were manageable if you put in an hour or so of studying. We had to write 300 word journals every week over a few articles, but they weren't terrible because the articles were actually interesting. There is no textbook. Instead, we read Silent Spring and wrote a paper over it. Initially, I hated this, but the book was actually really good. Oh, and we have discussion every Friday. Our class only had 8 people in it, so there were a few Fridays that we met at common grounds for discussion. Overall, Dr. Duke is one of the best professors I have ever had/will probably ever have, and if you have the opportunity to take her (especially for ecology), DO IT!  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1401 - Dr. Duke is a really nice and cool lady. She really enjoys teaching and makes class fun. The tests are a little deceiving though, they certainly aren't hard, but it's almost impossible to get an A on them without reading the book, which is what i did and got a B. You'll be tempted, as i was, not to read the book for tests, and you really don't need to if you are cool with a B or B+, but for an A i would. It's a fun class though and i would recommend it. it's at least a guaranteed b with little effort and an A with moderate effort.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:1401 - Dr. Duke is really nice and teaches well. Do your readings for the test- they WILL be on there. Go to as many classes as possible, she takes attendance for a grade.   - Grade In Class:B

Comments:1401 - Ah! And do NOT buy the $150 textbook because a) You are never assigned readings in it. b) I studied it anyways. It's irrelevant to her tests!   - Grade In Class:C

Comments:1401 - I am an A to B student. This is an Intro to Biology class for non-majors. This woman is a decent teacher. The problem is, she tries to dumb stuff down so you don't have to understand the material as in depth as say, a pre-med student would. Then she passes her tests out and you find the most obscure stuff, the complicated stuff, and the stuff that you don't completely understand because she hasn't gone into enough depth in class to be testing you on it. Don't be deceived by all these great ratings. She does not teach a good Intro to Bio class at all. The workload for her class is next to nothing, but you'd better put in over 15 hours a test if you want to ensure the A/B range, and believe me, she does NOT tell you that.  - Grade In Class:C

Comments:1401 - Great professor! She makes you read online articles and gives quizzes over the information, but they are interesting. The whole class was very interesting and I really enjoyed it. The tests are ALL based on lecture and articles, so you don't even really need to buy the book. I would highly recommend taking her for this class.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1401 - Duke is pretty awesome! The class was not hard and you get extra points for good attendance. You have to read the book Parasite Rex and write a paper over it but as long as you have a general knowledge of what the book covers it isn't difficult. The labs are really boring, but as far as a science class for non-majors it wasn't bad at all.   - Grade In Class:B+

Comments:1401 - Bio for non-majors: I was so worried about this class until I walked in on the first day and everything taught is about current events. Your textbook is articles from Time Magazine. HOWEVER, the test are not how well you know the information but how well you can take the test. One of those, that has every combination of answers possible. Go to class she doesn't put up powerpoint and she gives pop quizzes. The lab is EASY!  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1401 - does't use the text book.. the tests just cover lecture and articles. make sure you know what the articles say. some of the test questions could be kind of tricky. tests are mostly multiple choice and a few matching.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1401 - Prof. Duke was awesome! I am NOT a science person at all, but she made the class very interesting! Tests are all "Which of the folling are true?" so they can be a little tricky, but if you go to class and stay awake you will do fine! Highly recomended for non-majors!!  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:1401 - Take Duke shes awesome. Easy tests, just study your notes  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1401 - Very interesting class! She tells us to read the articles online, but never holds us to any quizzes. Only grades are exams, but they are not too hard and they cover material that she gives in lectures and on the articles. New class, which teaches you bio info AND common misconceptions in the world today (details about sex, smoking, drinking, etc.). Good class!  - Grade In Class:B