AI Rate Professor

Physics

Erick Sturm

PHYSICS1B · PHYS001B · PHYS1B · PHYS008B · 25 lifetime ratings

AI rating
89/100
RMP rating
4.6/5
Take again
88.46%
Difficulty
3.2

The decision

if you want a top physics teacher and will study hard; skip if you need an easy A.

Best fit · Effort For RewardAmazing lecturesWorks at JPLCaring and responsiveHard but fair examsHilarious
  • and same-day email replies.
  • Exams and quizzes are tough and detail-heavy, but and recovery chances.
  • brutal tests and high drop rates in 8B.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

42/100

Many students earn As, but only after heavy study; tests feel harder than peers and .

Online reviews describe more manageable exams if ; and high drops.

Is the course easy?

Challenging

32/100

Physics content stays intellectually hard with fast detail-heavy quizzes, even when lectures make concepts clearer.

Both formats call material tough; in-person 8B comments are the harshest on intellectual challenge.

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

28/100

and warn that skipping lectures tanks quiz and .

Evidence is mostly in-person; a few online and but still stress showing up.

Is this professor recommended?

MustTake

88/100

Nearly all reviewers urge taking him for clarity, humor, and care despite difficulty and a few angry dropouts.

Online reviews are almost uniformly glowing; but still strongly recommends him.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Fair

58/100

, and equation sheets help, but and low early exam averages keep standards real.

Format shift

Online comments emphasize fair partial credit; .

Workload

Moderate

48/100

, and three exams keep pace steady without pure busywork overload.

Format shift

Workload pattern is similar across formats; .

Teaching experience

Excellent

92/100

Students repeatedly call him best-in-department for and same-day support while working at JPL.

Format shift

Both online and intensity.

Assessment method

Balanced

58/100

Grade split covers labs, quizzes, and or pure assignment focus.

Format shift

In-person reviews spell out 6 quizzes and 3 exams most clearly; .

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

20 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

In-person reviews call him among the best at PCC for clarity and care, while warning that .

Main concern

Impossible-feeling quizzes and unprepared students.

What students said

“The challenge lies in his impossible tests—quizzes feel .”
PHYS008B
“Professor Sturm was truly the .”
PHYS1B
“An A was definitely not easy. Half the class scored an A, but it definitely wasn't free.”
PHYS008B

Remote format

Online

6 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

Online students rave , and strong support despite remote format.

Main concern

; difficulty is real even when lectures feel clear.

What students said

“If you have the .”
PHYS001B
“Study hw and whiteboard problems and you will be fine on the exam.”
PHYS1B
“His quizzes and and read the chapters and you should be fine.”
PHYSICS1B

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

and lectures but run hard and detail-heavy with recovery options.

Homework-aligned quizzesEquation sheets providedPersonal cheat sheet allowedMakeup low quiz scores from examsHard detail-focused tests

Assessment risk

Standard

55/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

and quizzes are frequently described as very hard, with equation sheets, cheat sheets, and .

6 quizzes and 3 examsMCQ and FRQEquations providedOwn cheat sheetQuiz score recovery via exams
“ and exam as well as your own cheat sheet.”
PHYS008B
“There are 6 quizzes and 3 exams, all containing MCQ and FRQ.”
PHYS008B
“The biggest pro is that .”
PHYS008B

Online

Online reviewers say quizzes and and lecture examples and feel fair when you redo problem sets.

Homework-based quizzes and examsLecture examples map to tests
“ , and and lecture material.”
PHYS001B
“Study hw and whiteboard problems and you will be fine on the exam.”
PHYS1B

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“Prof. Sturm might be the best teacher at PCC. He's an , and the level of effort he puts in is extraordinary!”

Voice snapshots generated from 26 reviews spanning online and in-person physics sections, highlighting . Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

92/100

“Professor Sturm was truly the set my bar high for professors.”

👍 Recommendation Rate

88/100

“If you have the .”

📚

42/100

“The challenge lies in his impossible tests—quizzes feel .”

❤️ Student Care

90/100

“Despite his full time job at JPL you .”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • His lectures were so clear and organized.
  • Lectures were engaging and fun.
  • Topics super interesting and helped keep the class engaged.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty and Grades

  • An A was definitely not easy.
  • if ur looking for Ez A. this not for you.
  • Exam 1 avg was around 65.

Theme 3

❤️ About Character

  • He's an so don't be afraid to ask questions.
  • I love Sturm.
  • I'm not here teaching because I have to. I'm here because I want to.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

26

Recent reviews read by the AI

25

Lifetime ratings

86/100

Evidence confidence

26 detailed reviews span 2020-2026 with strong theme consistency on teaching quality and .

Inside 26 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 521
4 out of 50
3 out of 52
2 out of 52
1 out of 51

Course coverage

PHYS008B10 reviews
PHYS1B10 reviews
PHYS001B4 reviews
PHYSICS1B2 reviews

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

20 reported outcomes

A range

8

A 7 · A- 1

B range

4

B 4

C range

1

C+ 1

D range

1

D 1

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

6

Drop/Withdrawal 3 · Incomplete 1 · Rather not say 2