AI Rate Professor

Earth Science

Simon Balm

ASTRO3 · ASTRON3 · ASTRON1 · ASTR5 · ASTRON2 · ASTRO5 · ASTO1 · ASTRO2 · ASTRON7 · ASTRO1 · 300 lifetime ratings

AI rating
91/100
RMP rating
4.5/5
Take again
76.56%
Difficulty
2.7

The decision

stay on the weekly checklist, use open notes wisely, and you can learn a lot without a brutal curveball.

Best fit · Beginner FriendlyHilarious LecturesClear OrganizationOpen-Note FriendlyWeekly Work RhythmAstronomy Easy Path
  • Funny, well-organized lectures make astronomy approachable for non-STEM students
  • Weekly quizzes, discussions, and labs are predictable if you stay on schedule
  • Open-note tests and work

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

EasyA

80/100

Complete weekly work on time, use practice quizzes, and talent.

; some in-person scholars sections require more grind.

Is the course easy?

Beginner

72/100

Astronomy is presented clearly for non-majors with limited heavy math in most sections.

Short online terms feel denser; .

Is attendance flexible?

Recommended

68/100

Many online classes are async, but and .

Online is more flexible; .

Is this professor recommended?

WorthIt

80/100

Most students recommend him for funny lectures and terms.

Online recommendations are especially strong; tough-test complaints.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Lenient

76/100

, and dropped low quizzes keep grading student-friendly.

Format shift

Online emphasizes open notes and EC; .

Workload

Moderate

48/100

Weekly discussions, labs, and quizzes add up, especially in 6- to 8-week sessions, but tasks stay predictable.

Format shift

Online short terms feel heaviest; regular terms are steadier.

Teaching experience

Excellent

90/100

Students praise humor, organization, checklists, and genuine enthusiasm for astronomy.

Format shift

Excellence holds across formats with only occasional autopilot complaints.

Assessment method

Balanced

45/100

Mix of weekly quizzes, discussions, labs, and .

Format shift

; in-person can be more test centered.

Luni fit check

Weigh these signals against your actual schedule.

Get help balancing workload, grading, and timing when no option is an obvious fit.

Course format

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Classroom format

In person

22 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Beginner Friendly

and engaging lectures; a minority find long lectures boring and tests harder, especially in scholars formats.

Main concern

and lecture-heavy despite overall friendliness.

What students said

“The lectures and .”
ASTRO3
“Professor Balm's class was so easy and simple to understand.”
ASTRO3
“the tests (3 of them) are TOUGH. , but even then its hard.”
ASTRO1

Remote format

Online

28 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Beginner Friendly

Online sections are highly organized with , and often open-note quizzes; short terms feel busier but still doable.

Main concern

Accelerated 6- to 8-week sessions pack a lot of weekly units and timed tests.

What students said

“this professor was so funny throughout his online lectures and the jokes usually caught me offguard”
ASTRO1
“ . I actually enjoyed this class !”
ASTRO3
“lots of work, but overall easy and straight foward and the lectures were really interesting.”
ASTO1

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Many and transparent expectations.

Open note or open book common onlinePractice quizzes mirror testsWeekly quizzes instead of huge finalsClear grading criteria

Assessment risk

StudentFriendly

84/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

and more lecture-heavy, though curves and dropped lows appear in several sections.

Curved testsLowest test droppedLecture-based examsClear lab grading
“ in the class.”
ASTRO1
“The instructions and .”
ASTRO3

Online

Online exams and , timed, and closely tied to practice questions and lectures.

Open note quizzesNo final in some sectionsPractice quizzesTimed weekly tests
“the tests are basically the same as the .”
ASTRO1
“ .”
ASTRO3
“ but open-note.”
ASTRON2

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“As long as you manage your time well, completing the assignments and receiving an A is a breeze. The and not too challenging.”

Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews (28 online, 22 in person), highlighting humor, organization, and open-note friendliness. Credibility rating: High.

😂 Fun Lectures

90/100

“this professor was so funny throughout his online lectures and the jokes usually caught me offguard which made them funnier.”

🗂️

88/100

“The instructions and .”

🅰️ Easy A Path

80/100

“If you stay on top of the work, it's a !”

📅 Weekly Workload

48/100

“There's a lot of work if you're taking it as a 6 week course, but not anything you can't handle”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • His lecture videos are actually fun
  • He makes Astronomy easy to understand

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty and Grades

  • as the practice quizzes
  • getting an A is a struggle. i got a B
  • Easy if you do the work

Theme 3

🗓️ About Course Organization

  • Same schedule and due dates every week
  • Everything in

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

50

Recent reviews read by the AI

300

Lifetime ratings

90/100

Evidence confidence

Fifty reviews with strong consistency on organization, humor, and weekly structure across online and in-person formats.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 5214
4 out of 556
3 out of 517
2 out of 59
1 out of 54

Course coverage

ASTO111 reviews
ASTRO111 reviews
ASTRO38 reviews
ASTRON35 reviews
ASTRO24 reviews
Show 5 more courses
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ASTRON21 review
ASTRON71 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

46 reported outcomes

A range

35

A+ 5 · A 27 · A- 3

B range

7

B 7

C range

2

C+ 2

D range

1

D 1

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

1

Not sure yet 1