Thomas Dowling

ARTHIST · FREEHAND · ART101 · ART120 · ART124 · ART102 · ARTHISTORY · ART235 · ART102130 · ART120H · ART000 · ART130 · ART102ART120 · ART211 · ARTDRAW · ART100 · 49 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 94/100
RMP rating: 4.6/5
Take again: 100%
Difficulty: 1.8

The decision

if you want a and real skill growth.

Best fit · Beginner FriendlyGenuinely CaringLaid-Back StudioSkill BuilderEasy Art HistoryHelpful Critiques

Students repeatedly call him one of the improve.
Drawing and painting demand consistent studio work and careful guidelines, while art history is often an easy A.
, but skipping makes it easy and portfolios.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

EasyA

82/100

Art history and many studio reviews say high grades follow show-up-and-turn-in work, though some drawing sections grade pickier at the end.

; no online reviews.

Is the course easy?

Beginner

72/100

, but studio classes still require practice time and careful technique.

; no online reviews.

Is attendance flexible?

MustTake

91/100

Overwhelming praise for kindness, skill growth, and passion, with 100% would-take-again signal among reported responses.

; no online reviews.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Lenient

74/100

Many call grades fair or easy with effort, though some studio students say he gets picky and .

Format shift

; no online reviews.

Workload

Moderate

58/100

Art history is light, while drawing/painting require regular portfolios, practice, and sometimes long studio sessions.

Format shift

; no online reviews.

Teaching experience

Excellent

93/100

, and strong skill development even for beginners.

Format shift

; no online reviews.

Assessment method

FocusOnAssignments

24/100

Studio portfolios, projects, museum visits, and improvement dominate; .

Format shift

; no online reviews.

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

49 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Beginner Friendly

In-person studio and art , and skill-building, with strong praise for kindness and knowledge.

Main concern

A minority mention picky end grading, favoritism, or .

What students said

“He's very thoughtful in his instruction, thinking about the artistic abilities of each of his individual students while helping them.”
ART130

“Mr Dowling is the man! very chill guy and knowledgeable and he is a great drawer.”
ART120

“Tom is the nicest teacher you will ever have. He is extremely passionate about art and shows that through his teaching.”
ART120H

Remote format

Online

0 reviews

Low confidence

No stored summary is available for this format.

Main concern

No main concern is stored for this format.

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Studio work is portfolio-driven, while and worksheet tests with review guidance.

Portfolio BasedMultiple Choice TestsSlide IdentificationMuseum Visits

Assessment risk

StudentFriendly

84/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

and worksheets; studio classes grade projects and portfolios rather than harsh sit-down exams.

Multiple Choice TestsSlide IdentificationPortfolio BasedExtra Credit

“Easy class. Offers lots of . Museum visits required. Tells you exactly what will be on the , so don't miss.”
ART102

“His tests are multiple choice of 25 from slides and videos worksheets.Easy!”
ART101

“just make sure you turn in the portfolio and youre good to go.”
ART120

Online

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“He's very thoughtful in his instruction, thinking about the artistic abilities of each of his individual students while helping them. What I like most about him is that he genuinely cares about his students and their well-being.”
Voice snapshots generated from 49 in-person reviews, highlighting care, studio growth, and . Credibility rating: High.

❤️ Teaching Quality

93/100

“AWESOME PROFESSOR! I'd say he's one of the . Class is very laid back and he is always looking to help you out in any way possible.”

👍 Recommendation Rate

91/100

“Even if you really suck at drawing Tom will make you an artist! As long as you listen, work and turn everything in time you're guarunteed a high grade.”

🎯 Skill Growth

88/100

“Before taking class, I couldn't draw, after that, I can draw , and draw faster. I also can draw hands.”

📗 Easy Grade Path

82/100

“You have to be an idiot to not get an" A".Just show up for review days.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

if he sees you trying. !
, and extremely passionate about his profession.
Tom is SO nice. Honestly one of the nicest professors I've had at OCC.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

His class is easy and interesting but you must show your work and follow his guidelines carefully because he does get picky at the end
Really easy to get an A.
and video worksheets.

Theme 3

🎨 About Studio Atmosphere

The class becomes like a family; everyone is friendly because he rubs off on them.
he stands back and lets you create stuff yourself, even if you mess up. Then he helps you see wheere you went wrong.
Class is layed back. Doesnt care if you come late just as long as your caught up with your work.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

Lifetime ratings

86/100

Evidence confidence

Forty-nine mostly detailed reviews over many years strongly agree on kindness and teaching quality, with only minor favoritism complaints.

Inside 49 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 539

4 out of 54

3 out of 54

2 out of 52

1 out of 50

Course coverage

ART12013 reviews

ART1028 reviews

ART1306 reviews

ART1015 reviews

ART120H3 reviews

Show 11 more courses

ART2352 reviews

ARTHISTORY2 reviews

FREEHAND2 reviews

ART0001 review

ART1001 review

ART1021301 review

ART102ART1201 review

ART1241 review

ART2111 review

ARTDRAW1 review

ARTHIST1 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

3 reported outcomes

A range

A 2

B range

B+ 1

C range

No reported values

D range

No reported values

F

No reported values

No letter grade reported

No reported values

Thomas Dowling

x x x x x x x x if you want a x x and real skill growth.

Four answers before you build your schedule.

EasyA

Beginner

Recommended

MustTake

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.

❤️ Teaching Quality

👍 Recommendation Rate

🎯 Skill Growth

📗 Easy Grade Path

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

🎨 About Studio Atmosphere

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 a and real skill growth.