AI Rate Professor

History

Willia Vanbenschoten

HIST12 · HIST34 · HISTORY12 · HIST20 · HIS11 · HIST33 · HISTORY34 · HIS33 · HIST11 · 106 lifetime ratings

AI rating
42/100
RMP rating
3.7/5
Take again
46.34%
Difficulty
3.6

The decision

if you want intensive history writing practice and can handle a very heavy weekly load.

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerHeavy reading loadWriting intensiveTough graderImproves writing skillsLots of weekly essays
  • , and multi-thousand-word essays.
  • , so many students feel the effort-reward ratio is poor.
  • Students who want stronger history writing skills sometimes praise him; .

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

34/100

As appear for strong writers who grind weekly, but many report Cs or Bs despite long hours because .

Online reviews more often describe brutal essays; As reachable.

Is the course easy?

Challenging

28/100

Content plus constant long writing and dense reading make the course feel much harder than a typical GE history.

Online compressed terms intensify the load; in-person still heavy but sometimes more manageable.

Is attendance flexible?

Recommended

55/100

, but participation and keeping up with weekly posts effectively force steady presence.

Online relies on discussion posts more than live seats; .

Is this professor recommended?

Depends

46/100

fans love .

Older and ; recent online reviews are harsher.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Strict

28/100

Students repeatedly call him a and rarely gives personal feedback.

Format shift

Online grading complaints dominate; a .

Workload

Heavy

18/100

, and multi-essay midterms or finals create an overwhelming load.

Format shift

Online weekly word counts feel heaviest; but some report 1-2 hours in lighter terms.

Teaching experience

Average

56/100

, and inspiring for history majors, yet many find him boring and unresponsive under load.

Format shift

In-person lectures draw more praise; and generic comments.

Assessment method

FocusOnAssignments

22/100

Discussions, papers, and quizzes secondary.

Format shift

Online is almost all writing; .

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

14 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

and strict criteria, but more praise for lectures, access, and fair structure.

Main concern

High weekly assignment volume and .

What students said

“Wow I had no idea I'd be spending 10+ hours on history each week”
HIS11
“Don't listen to any review that says this class is hard. Every week is an ”
HIST11
“Fantastic professor! Genuinely loves history and is enthusiastic about sharing his knowledge”
HIST12

Remote format

Online

36 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

Online history sections feel reading-and-writing factories with 800-1500+ word posts, tough essays, and strict perfection standards.

Main concern

, and weak or .

What students said

“weekly 800+ word assignments. suspicions of curving grades according to class average”
HIST12
“he also slams you with 2 1500 word essays for the midterm and final”
HIS11
“no class I have taken throughout my college career has improved my writing skills as much as this course did”
HIST20

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Assessment is writing-first with .

Essay midterms and finalsLong discussion postsHeavy readingOpen-note quizzes sometimesLittle individual feedback

Assessment risk

Standard

48/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

essays or open-note exams instead of pure tests.

Weekly assignment plus quizThree essaysOpen note examsField trip project
“Every week is an . Instead of ”
HIST11
“he gave a , as well as ”
HIST11

Online

Online exams and ; quizzes are simpler textbook checks.

1500-word essays800+ word weekly postsEssay finalsSimple quizzes
“2 1500 word essays for the midterm and final”
HIS11
“ and based around the textbook”
HIST12

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“If a minimum of three chapters, answer eight 500-word questions each week, and write 2,400-word essays.”

Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews, highlighting workload intensity and polarized value for writers. Credibility rating: High.

📚 Workload Shock

18/100

“Wow I had no idea I'd be spending 10+ hours on history each week.”

🎯 Teaching Value

56/100

“no class I have taken throughout my college career (5 years) has improved my writing skills as much as this course did.”

⚖️

28/100

“He is such a and expects everything to be perfect”

👍 Recommendation Split

46/100

“ ”

Theme 1

📖 About Workload

  • weekly 800+ word assignments
  • So many readings
  • Way too much work
  • first week of this man's class and I am immediately dropping

Theme 2

✍️ About Writing & Grades

  • improved my writing skills as much as this course did
  • After this class you will be a better writer

Theme 3

❤️ About Character

  • Dr. Van is a great professor
  • terribly boring
  • Genuinely loves history
  • and understanding

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

50

Recent reviews read by the AI

106

Lifetime ratings

88/100

Evidence confidence

50 reviews over many years show consistent themes of heavy writing and .

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 546
4 out of 527
3 out of 59
2 out of 511
1 out of 513

Course coverage

HIST1214 reviews
HIST1110 reviews
HIS118 reviews
HIST336 reviews
HIST205 reviews
Show 4 more courses
HIS332 reviews
HIST342 reviews
HISTORY122 reviews
HISTORY341 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

41 reported outcomes

A range

16

A+ 2 · A 13 · A- 1

B range

12

B+ 6 · B 6

C range

6

C+ 4 · C 2

D range

1

D- 1

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

6

Drop/Withdrawal 3 · Not sure yet 3