Russell DiFiori

BIO11 · BIO1A · ANATOMYPHYSIO · BIOL14 · ANAT025 · ENVS1 · BIO10B · PHYSC2 · BIO2989 · BIO14 · BIOL1A · BIOLOGY14 · PHSC002 · 144 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 84/100
RMP rating: 4.4/5
Take again: 72%
Difficulty: 2.7

The decision

and fair effort rewards, but expect creative workload and less traditional lecture structure.

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerField Biology HikesCreative UnorthodoxCaring Easy GraderHeavy JournalsSketchbook Learning

Students love field hikes, hands-on ecology, and his caring personality, especially in BIO14 and physical science.
Some BIO10B cohorts found instructions vague, essays tedious, and .
Online anatomy and physical science often feel easy and generous if you finish sketchbooks or weekly work.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

EasyA

76/100

Many courses reward completion and effort with high grades, though some BIO10B students say harsh essay scoring blocks easy As.

Online PHSC and anatomy lean easier; some in-person BIO10B reviews report tougher grading.

Is the course easy?

Beginner

60/100

Field and physical , but weekly journals, sketchbooks, and CORE work add real intellectual effort.

Online PHSC often rated very easy; field and BIO10B in person feel more demanding.

Is attendance flexible?

Varies

62/100

Field labs and some sections expect presence, while several online and .

; many online sections are flexible.

Is this professor recommended?

WorthIt

76/100

Overall quality is high and many call him a to avoid certain BIO10B terms.

Online recent reviews are strongly positive; in-person sentiment depends on course and semester.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Lenient

74/100

Recent online students call him a ; older BIO10B critics say grading was nitpicky and subjective.

Format shift

Online evidence is more lenient; a subset of in-person BIO10B reviews are much stricter.

Workload

Moderate

44/100

, and CORE-style assessments keep the load solid even when content is fun.

Format shift

Both formats mention heavy writing or sketch work in some courses.

Teaching experience

Good

82/100

Praise for inspiration, humor, and field expertise outweighs complaints about vagueness and unorthodox structure.

Format shift

In-person field teaching is the strongest praise; online support and .

Assessment method

FocusOnAssignments

28/100

, and CORE writeups dominate over classic multiple-choice testing.

Format shift

Online anatomy uses drawing exams; .

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

38 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

In-person field courses are celebrated as , while a 2022 BIO10B cluster strongly criticizes vague prompts and .

Main concern

Unorthodox structure and subjective writing can .

What students said

“ !”
BIO10B

“He never teaches at all. Super lazy.”
BIO10B

“It's honestly just a peaceful hike every week.”
BIO14

Remote format

Online

12 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

Online anatomy and physical , and A-friendly assignment or sketchbook models.

Main concern

Writing-heavy environmental or physical science sections can feel tedious even when grades are high.

What students said

“He graded the and is an understanding professor.”
anat025

“ and if you email him.”
PHSC002

“it was just a bunch of .”
ENVS1

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Assessments often favor open-ended drawing, essays, research projects, or effort-based work rather than strict closed-book testing.

Assessment risk

StudentFriendly

78/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

Field and BIO courses , and group work more than standard proctored tests.

Notebook checksCORE examsOpen ended essay finalField observations

“No exams the final is an .”
BIO10B

“He only really does notebook checks and a ”
BIOL14

“Prep for !!”
BIO10B

Online

; some PHSC sections report no quizzes or exams, only projects.

Free response drawing examsSketchbook basedNo quizzes or exams in some PHSCResearch project final

“There are 2 exams which is free response and you draw 5 different prompts based on the sketches you did.”
anat025

“There are .”
PHSC002

“The in parts throughout the semester.”
PHSC002

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“ ! I took his field lab 10b class in the spring. We literally just went on a learning hike every week.”
Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews across anatomy, field bio, physical science, and related courses. Credibility rating: High.

🌿 Field Learning Magic

90/100

“the great outdoors is your classroom and you get to hike and look for plants and animals.”

📝 Workload Reality

44/100

“The sketchbook is a lot of work but don't procrastinate like me and do the weekly sketches.”

⚖️

74/100

“Hes a so as long as you do the work .”

😕 Vague Structure Risk

35/100

“Assignments are so unclear and so vague.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

Most influential teacher I've had. .
He doesn't teach and expects you know everything by the time the .
Prof. Difiori is awesome! His knowledge and personality make the class fun.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty and Grades

pretty easy class, provided the textbooks for the class and
as long as you turn in all of A.
Grades harshly and mercilessly.

Theme 3

🥾 About Field Experience

We literally just went on a learning hike every week.
! It's honestly just a peaceful hike every week.
Be prepared to sweat, work hard, and fall way hard for nature.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

144

Lifetime ratings

90/100

Evidence confidence

50 reviews across many years and courses show a stable overall positive pattern with a clear negative BIO10B cluster that is still well documented.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 5107

4 out of 520

3 out of 57

2 out of 56

1 out of 55

Course coverage

BIO10B12 reviews

BIO149 reviews

BIO1A7 reviews

BIO115 reviews

ENVS13 reviews

Show 8 more courses

PHSC0023 reviews

anat0252 reviews

ANATOMYPHYSIO2 reviews

BIOL142 reviews

BIOL1A2 reviews

BIO29891 review

BIOLOGY141 review

PHYSC21 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

24 reported outcomes

A range

A+ 5 · A 14 · A- 1

B range

B+ 1 · B 2 · B- 1

C range

No reported values

D range

No reported values

F

No reported values

No letter grade reported

No reported values

Russell DiFiori

x x x x x and fair effort rewards, but expect creative workload and less traditional lecture structure.

Four answers before you build your schedule.

EasyA

Beginner

Varies

WorthIt

See how this professor fits your week.

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

In person

Online

See what students actually said.

🌿 Field Learning Magic

📝 Workload Reality

⚖️ x x

😕 Vague Structure Risk

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

📈 About Difficulty and Grades

🥾 About Field Experience

See exactly what the AI read.

Quality ratings

Course coverage

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

A range

B range

C range

D range

F

No letter grade reported

and fair effort rewards, but expect creative workload and less traditional lecture structure.

⚖️