AI Rate Professor

Geology

Aaron Sappenfield

GEO30 · OCE1 · GEO1L · GEO5 · GEO1L42055 · OCEAN1 · GEO1 · 69 lifetime ratings

AI rating
96/100
RMP rating
4.8/5
Take again
94.29%
Difficulty
2.2

The decision

if you will watch lectures and show up; one of the easiest high-support science As on campus.

Best fit · Beginner FriendlyCaring and supportiveOpen-note examsExtra credit abundantPassionate lecturesEasy science A
  • Students , and invested in everyone earning an A.
  • Quizzes and and drawn directly from lectures, with generous .
  • Main tradeoff is long lecture videos or ; online sometimes adds Lockdown Browser or webcam requirements.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

EasyA

90/100

, and make As the normal outcome for consistent students.

Both formats are easy A paths; online winter terms and GEO5 especially stress near-effortless As with notes and .

Is the course easy?

Beginner

78/100

; the only real challenge is long lectures and staying consistent with notes.

Online long videos and occasional Lockdown quizzes add friction; .

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

28/100

Many sections require attendance or live Zoom presence, and missing though content is supportive.

In-person is frequently mandatory; some online sections also enforce live meetings while others allow recorded catch-up.

Is this professor recommended?

MustTake

95/100

Nearly all reviewers would take him again and call him one of the .

Praise is equally strong online and in person with only rare quality dips.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Generous

92/100

Open notes, curves, , and clear lecture-based criteria make grading highly student-friendly.

Format shift

Both formats are generous; a few online students wanted clearer quiz wording but still earned high grades.

Workload

Light

68/100

; time mainly goes into watching lectures and taking notes.

Format shift

Online accelerated terms and labs can feel heavier; standard lecture courses remain light if you keep up.

Teaching experience

Excellent

94/100

Students consistently praise clear, passionate lectures, care for students, and .

Format shift

Both formats rate teaching extremely high; online relies more on pre-recorded video quality.

Assessment method

FocusOnExams

62/100

Weekly quizzes, midterms, and a and optional .

Format shift

; online leans module questions plus open-note quizzes and 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

25 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Beginner Friendly

In-person sections emphasize mandatory attendance, , and a professor who clearly wants students to succeed.

Main concern

Long lectures and mandatory attendance; .

What students said

“his geology class is an easy A. I enjoyed his teaching style, and .”
GEO1
“All of the and allows you to use your notes for exams and quizzes.”
OCE1
“the kindest soul ever and actually cares about each student and their success. ”
OCEAN1

Remote format

Online

25 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Beginner Friendly

, and easy As, with occasional Lockdown Browser and long video load.

Main concern

Long weekly lecture videos and some online quiz proctoring with Respondus LockDown Browser or webcam.

What students said

“If you can watch lectures and .”
GEO1
“you are required to download a program called Respondus LockDown and .”
GEO5
“As long as you answer the module critical thinking questions and some questions on each assignment, you will receive an A.”
OCE1

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Overall exams are student-friendly open-note and lecture-aligned, though some online sections require LockDown Browser or webcam proctoring.

Open note examsLecture-based quizzesExtra creditRespondus LockDown Browser onlineWebcam on some online finals

Assessment risk

StudentFriendly

78/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

, and finals are repeatedly open note and based and spoken points.

Open note examsQuiz and test content from slidesOptional online final with webcam in one report
“just study for the course. The webcam; your choice :)”
GEO1
“every quiz and .”
OCE1
“As long as you're taking notes, as it's open notes.”
OCE1

Online

Online quizzes and exams are often open note but some courses require Respondus LockDown Browser and a webcam, which students flag as annoying but still passable.

Open noteRespondus LockDown BrowserWebcam proctoringLecture-based questions
“you are required to download a program called Respondus LockDown and .”
GEO5
“all quizzes and and with a webcam”
GEO1
“ , because both his quizzes and .”
GEO1

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“Professor Sappenfield cares about his students and offers many opportunities to ensure that you get an A in his class.”

Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews (25 online, 25 in , and easy As. Credibility rating: High.

❤️ Student Care

94/100

“the kindest soul ever and actually cares about each student and their success.”

🅰️ Easy A Path

90/100

“his geology class is an easy A. I enjoyed his teaching style, and .”

📝 Open-Note Exams

88/100

“All of the and allows you to use your notes for exams and quizzes.”

🌟

95/100

“Overall, 10/10, would take his classes a hundred more times if I could.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • He makes learning really fun, interesting, and easy to understand
  • very passionate about geology which makes it interesting

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty and Grades

  • super easy A if
  • when i took geo-5 an 88% was an A, and
  • lots of work but that is to be expected for an accelerated class

Theme 3

❤️ About Character

  • He truly wants you to succeed
  • super dedicated and very easy to reach out to
  • I wish every professor was like him

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

50

Recent reviews read by the AI

69

Lifetime ratings

92/100

Evidence confidence

Fifty highly consistent reviews across online and in-person geology and oceanography from 2021-2026, with detailed comments and very strong agreement on quality.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 560
4 out of 57
3 out of 52
2 out of 51
1 out of 50

Course coverage

GEO119 reviews
OCE119 reviews
GEO55 reviews
GEO1L4 reviews
GEO1L420551 review
Show 2 more courses
GEO301 review
OCEAN11 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

49 reported outcomes

A range

35

A+ 9 · A 23 · A- 3

B range

10

B+ 4 · B 6

C range

1

C+ 1

D range

0

No reported values

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

3

Not sure yet 2 · Rather not say 1