Cliff Ruth

COM20 · COM1 · COMM9 · COM13 · COM12 · COM9 · COM6 · 114 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 84/100
RMP rating: 4.6/5
Take again: 80.85%
Difficulty: 2.8

The decision

if you will read, participate, and use his interview prep—great teaching with grades that reward real effort.

Best fit · Effort For RewardCaring communication coachInterview-style finalEffort-based gradingEntertaining lecturesCan be tough grader

Most students call him caring, funny, and .
questions provided in advance.
A minority, especially older or heavier and dense discussions.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

FairEffort

64/100

Many earn As by doing readings and discussions, but effort and participation matter and some call him a .

Online interview finals and open-book midterms help; older in-person and COM12 reviews report tougher scoring.

Is the course easy?

Standard

58/100

Communication , and speeches require steady weekly work.

Online discussions and summer or winter terms can .

Is attendance flexible?

Varies

48/100

Attendance rules differ by section—from .

; in person more frequently mandatory.

Is this professor recommended?

WorthIt

78/100

Large majority praise him as caring and effective, though .

Recent online and in-person reviews are more .

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Fair

58/100

and , but multiple tough-grader reports mean full credit requires real effort.

Format shift

Online late work is sometimes accepted; COM12 and older sections feel stricter.

Workload

Moderate

55/100

, and an interview final—manageable but not featherlight.

Format shift

Accelerated online and .

Teaching experience

Excellent

88/100

Students consistently highlight caring demeanor, entertaining lectures, and practical communication skills.

Format shift

Praise is strong in both formats; a minority criticize organization or email tone.

Assessment method

Balanced

52/100

Discussions, quizzes, papers, midterms, and a .

Format shift

; in person mixes speeches and interview finals.

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

28 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

In-person and hybrid classes are fun, structured, and easy to pass when you show up and do assignments; and lectures are a highlight.

Main concern

Some older and mandatory participation.

What students said

“The final was a 10 minute zoom call where he'll ask you about two of the five main topics we learned but it's easy to pass even if you just study for a day!”
COM9

“A gem of a professor. The class was very straightforward and easy”
COM9

“He's nit picky how he grades every little thing”
COM9

Remote format

Online

22 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

Online COM courses are manageable with , and an ; winter or heavier sections can feel workload-dense.

Main concern

and a few students call organization or .

What students said

“The learned throughout the semester, which is easy if you study for it.”
COM9

“ exam easy (since he says exactly what he is going to ask”
COM9

“I consider him to be a . You for sure need to book, youll practically read the whole thing.”
COM6

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

provided; midterms are often open book and straightforward.

One-on-one interview finalQuestions given in advanceOpen book midtermDiscussion-heavy prep

Assessment risk

StudentFriendly

80/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

prepared assessments; midterms may be online.

Interview finalQuestions providedOnline midterm in some sections

“The final was a 10 minute zoom call where he'll ask you about two of the five main topics we learned but it's easy to pass even if you just study for a day!”
COM9

“He gives you the questions he will ask you and the answers to the question for the final!”
COM9

Online

Online students report open-book midterms and roughly 10-15 minute Zoom interview finals with questions shared ahead.

Open book midtermZoom interview finalQuestions provided aheadNo Lockdown Browser mentioned

“ exam easy (since he says exactly what he is going to ask + a good video for )”
COM9

“The be nervous because he gives the possible questions so u can review it beforehand.”
COM9

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“A gem of a professor. The class was very straightforward and easy and helped me enjoy COM and understand its importance. Light work load as well, just read the assigned readings and you'll be fine. because he helps you prepare for it and what to expect.”
Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews across online and in-person COM courses, balancing recent praise with . Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

88/100

“Cliff is such a caring professor. He wants you to succeed.”

👍 Recommendation Rate

78/100

“10/10 would recommend.”

🎤

80/100

“the but it is easy and he provides all the answers beforehand.”

⚖️

45/100

“ . You have to go above and beyond to receive an A on assignments.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

His lectures are always a treat
funny, and his class really helped me with presentations
passionate about teaching students how to better their communication

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

Put in effort and you will pass with an A for sure
You HAVE to spend a lot of
so follow all instructions

Theme 3

🎤

final is ~10 minute zoom interview
he gives you all the answers ahead of time to study

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

114

Lifetime ratings

92/100

Evidence confidence

50 reviews across many years and both formats with rich detail; .

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 596

4 out of 57

3 out of 54

2 out of 53

1 out of 54

Course coverage

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Show 2 more courses

COMM92 reviews

COM131 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

35 reported outcomes

A range

A+ 7 · A 20 · A- 1

B range

B+ 1 · B 3

C range

C 1

D range

No reported values

F

No reported values

No letter grade reported

Not sure yet 2

Cliff Ruth

x x if you will read, participate, and use his interview prep—great teaching with grades that reward real effort.

Four answers before you build your schedule.

FairEffort

Standard

Varies

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.

🎯 Teaching Quality

👍 Recommendation Rate

🎤 x x x

⚖️ x x x

👨‍🏫 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 will read, participate, and use his interview prep—great teaching with grades that reward real effort.

🎤

⚖️

🎤