Stephen Drum

PHYSA185 · PHYSICS185 · A110 · PHYS120 · A185A280 · PHYS185 · PHY120 · PHYSA185H · PHYS185H · PHYS285 · PHYS280 · PHYS130135 · 115 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 68/100
RMP rating: 3.6/5
Take again: 72.73%
Difficulty: 2.9

The decision

if you want the and are willing to self-study lecture examples and optional HW.

Best fit · Self Taught ProGenerous CurveCheat Sheet ExamsExam HeavyEasy LabsSelf-Study Friendly

often 85% equals an A with heavy partial credit.
Course is exam-heavy with easy completion labs and .
and dry-humored, others call them boring and .

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

EasyA

81/100

An 85% A cutoff, partial credit, and exam prep.

Easy-A evidence is strongest in person; online is less flattering.

Is the course easy?

Challenging

36/100

Physics content and .

In-person students stress content difficulty more than online sample size allows.

Is attendance flexible?

Optional

72/100

, but so skipping is risky.

Is this professor recommended?

WorthIt

73/100

and solid odds of an A or B; fewer recommend him purely to learn deeply.

set.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Generous

86/100

Students repeatedly cite 85% for an A, generous partial credit, and easy lab completion scores.

Format shift

; online still mentions curves.

Workload

Light

71/100

and labs are quick; real work is studying for four major exams.

Format shift

Light day-to-day workload appears mainly in person.

Teaching experience

Average

58/100

Some praise clear examples and dry humor, while .

Format shift

In person is mixed-average; online lean more negative.

Assessment method

FocusOnExams

92/100

Grades are typically about 80% exams and 20% easy labs, with .

Format shift

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

47 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

In person, students emphasize generous scales, cheat sheets, easy labs, and if you put in the work.

Main concern

Dry lectures and conceptually.

What students said

“Pay attention in lectures and if you do that.”
PHYS280

“Easiest physics professor I've taken so far. He let's you have a cheat sheet.”
PHYS185

Remote format

Online

3 reviews

Low confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

, and less enthusiasm than in person.

Main concern

Online students report poor alignment between practice and exams and less useful lecture support.

What students said

“the .”
PHYSA185H

“If you want to pass with a . But if you're really want to learn the .”
PHYS185H

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

but are made friendlier by cheat sheets, calculators, and partial credit.

Cheat sheet allowedGenerous partial creditCalculator allowedExams mirror lecture examplesOptional HW for practice

Assessment risk

StudentFriendly

78/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

In person, students commonly get a one-page cheat sheet, calculators, partial credit, and .

One cheat sheetPartial creditAny calculatorLecture-based exam problemsLabs by completion

“you get . any calculator is allowed.”
PHYS280

“ surprises.”
PHYS185

Online

and little graded work beyond tests.

Few graded itemsHard examsCurve

“just 3 exams and the final.”
PHYSA185H

“The but curves.”
PHYS185H

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“Pay attention in lectures and if you do that. 85% = an A, double sided cheat sheet for all exams”
Voice snapshots generated from 50 , and self-study needs. Credibility rating: High.

🅰️

86/100

“He's a chill guy. . *SUPER easy and .”

📝 Exam-Centered Course

92/100

“Overall grade = 80% Exams + 20% Lab. Total of 4 exams.”

🧠

45/100

“If you can learn on your own, this is your guy.”

👍 Solid Physics Option

73/100

“He's a good physics professor compared to others. You succeed based on your effort.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

and has funny dry humor.
He seems not very passionate about his job and just reads off the slides.
Great lecturer, funny, and has a way of breaking down complex topics so that they make sense.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

Getting an A is easier (85%), B is simple (70%).
Got an A and I did not deserve A.
Easiest physics

Theme 3

🧪

.
Lab is easily 100% if completed and on time.
Do the and understand the example in the lecture because they are similar to the problem on the test.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

115

Lifetime ratings

90/100

Evidence confidence

50 reviews spanning many years , and mixed lecture quality.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 540

4 out of 532

3 out of 528

2 out of 58

1 out of 58

Course coverage

PHYS18517 reviews

PHYS28012 reviews

PHYS2855 reviews

PHYS1204 reviews

PHY1203 reviews

Show 7 more courses

PHYSA1852 reviews

PHYSA185H2 reviews

A1101 review

A185A2801 review

PHYS1301351 review

PHYS185H1 review

PHYSICS1851 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

42 reported outcomes

A range

A+ 1 · A 23 · A- 2

B range

B 11

C range

No reported values

D range

No reported values

F

No reported values

No letter grade reported

Drop/Withdrawal 1 · Not sure yet 2 · Rather not say 2

Stephen Drum

x x if you want the x x x x x x and are willing to self-study lecture examples and optional HW.

Four answers before you build your schedule.

EasyA

Challenging

Optional

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.

🅰️ x x x

📝 Exam-Centered Course

🧠 x x

👍 Solid Physics Option

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

🧪 x x x x

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

if you want the and are willing to self-study lecture examples and optional HW.

🅰️

🧠

🧪