AI Rate Professor

Physics

Brock Russell

PHY4C · AST1A · PHY11 · 4C · AST1B · PHY4B4C · PHYSICS10 · AST1 · PHY4B · PHY10 · 78 lifetime ratings

AI rating
56/100
RMP rating
3.7/5
Take again
67.95%
Difficulty
3.2

The decision

Take him if you want a and ; skip if you need example-heavy, tightly paced lectures.

Best fit · Effort For RewardPolarizing lecture styleExam corrections & extra creditSelf-teach physics heavyCaring but tangent-proneOpen-note friendly in AST
  • astronomy and lower-level students often love him; calc-based PHY4B/4C students frequently call lectures derivation-only with few examples.
  • Grading is often salvageable via exam phase-2 retakes, homework corrections, and .
  • Personality is widely praised as caring and funny, but .

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

FairEffort

58/100

Many students earn As or high grades through corrections, , and open notes in some courses, but physics exams and .

Online evidence stresses open-note free-response exams; in-person physics .

Is the course easy?

Challenging

38/100

Calc-based physics content is frequently called hard and math-heavy, while astronomy sections are much lighter.

Most challenge complaints come from in-person PHY4B/4C; online PHY10 and AST reviews describe easier conceptual work.

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

28/100

as mandatory and participation-focused, with only a minority saying it is optional.

Online as optional; in-person sections usually treat it as required.

Is this professor recommended?

WorthIt

62/100

About two-thirds would take him again, driven by care and recovery options, but lecture complaints keep this from a .

Online recommendations are warmer overall; in-person recommendations polarize by course level.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Lenient

70/100

Tough exams are often offset by phase-2 retakes, homework corrections, grade rounding, and .

Format shift

Online students emphasize early HW feedback and open-resource exams; and corrections.

Workload

Heavy

34/100

Many physics reviews cite long homework, labs, and heavy .

Format shift

Workload complaints are strongest in in-person PHY4; online intro physics reports lighter free-response work.

Teaching experience

Average

54/100

Students either call him inspiring and on tangents, and forces self-teaching.

Format shift

low teaching scores; online and astronomy reviews are much warmer.

Assessment method

Balanced

52/100

, and exams, with recovery paths on several graded pieces.

Format shift

Online courses highlight free-response quizzes and open-note tests; and .

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

41 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

many call him the , while many PHY4 students say lectures waste time on tangents and derivations with .

Main concern

Lecture structure, handwriting, mandatory participation, and .

What students said

“ and makes a usually difficult subject to learn a lot more digestible.”
PHY4B
“Half the lecture time was spent on a question of the day or him going on a random tangent.”
PHY4C
“ but he makes up for it by allowing a "phase 2" where you retake it in lab and discuss with everyone.”
PHY4B

Remote format

Online

9 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

Online students , and a pass-friendly setup if you do not cheat.

Main concern

A few report condescending classroom tone and lecture-heavy sessions even online.

What students said

“Exams are open textbook, notes, and whatever you . The only way to really fail his class is to cheat.”
PHY10
“For his online class tests are open notes open book. You also have the option of turning in and .”
4C
“Get ready for a lot of "you should know this already" about obscure topics from 4 weeks ago.”
PHY4B

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

, but many formats allow notes, corrections, or .

Open notes in some coursesExam corrections or phase-2 retakeConceptual plus math problemsHomework early feedback online

Assessment risk

Standard

58/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

In-person physics exams are often described as difficult, with some open-note astronomy tests and .

Difficult physics examsPhase-2 exam retakeOpen note in astronomyExam corrections
“ but he makes up for it by allowing a "phase 2" where you retake it in lab and discuss with everyone.”
PHY4C
“ because the .”
AST1A

Online

and strong anti-cheating enforcement.

Open notesOpen bookFree-response examsCatches cheating
“ .”
PHY10
“For .”
4C

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“Decent guy for sure, but . Lectures over one derivation the whole class and it doesn't help with doing homework or exams. Be prepared to teach yourself or .”

Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews, highlighting polarizing lecture quality, grade recovery, and course-level differences. Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

54/100

“ and makes a usually difficult subject to learn a lot more digestible.”

👍 Recommendation Split

62/100

“11/10 would take again, amazing teacher.”

📚

34/100

“Be prepared to teach yourself or .”

⚖️ Grade Recovery Path

70/100

“there was also flexibility towards homework & exams with helpful.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • Lectures over one derivation the whole class
  • His lectures take some getting used to but
  • Wastes too much time with questions of the day

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

  • but he makes up for it by allowing a phase 2
  • and
  • The only way to really fail this class is if you get caught cheating

Theme 3

❤️ About Character

  • He's a sweet and considerate professor who cares for you
  • Made me like dark chocolate
  • Dr. Russell almost convinced me to change my major to Physics

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

50

Recent reviews read by the AI

78

Lifetime ratings

86/100

Evidence confidence

Fifty detailed reviews across recent years with consistent polarizing themes and .

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 546
4 out of 54
3 out of 56
2 out of 55
1 out of 517

Course coverage

PHY4B24 reviews
AST1A6 reviews
PHY106 reviews
PHY4C5 reviews
AST1B3 reviews
Show 5 more courses
4C2 reviews
AST11 review
PHY111 review
PHY4B4C1 review
PHYSICS101 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

45 reported outcomes

A range

24

A+ 4 · A 17 · A- 3

B range

12

B+ 4 · B 8

C range

2

C 1 · C- 1

D range

0

No reported values

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

7

Drop/Withdrawal 1 · Not sure yet 4 · Rather not say 2