AI Rate Professor

Economics

Travis Ames

ECON4 · ECON2 · 60 lifetime ratings

AI rating
64/100
RMP rating
4.0/5
Take again
76.19%
Difficulty
2.6

The decision

if you can handle long lecture videos and , and solid prep tools.

Best fit · Effort For RewardTest heavyExtra credit curvesHilariousiVAT lecture videosPolarizing workload
  • Entertaining and charismatic, but the
  • iVATs and weekly busywork take serious time, especially in compressed terms
  • Curves and can save grades for students who keep up

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

FairEffort

58/100

An A is realistic if , and , but exams dominate and many land B range.

In person often has more and curves; online .

Is the course easy?

Standard

48/100

Concepts are teachable with his videos and jokes, but pace and volume make it far from light.

Online 8-week versions feel faster and heavier than full-term in person.

Is attendance flexible?

Recommended

62/100

; in person helps for worksheets and vibe, online has no seat-time requirement.

; in person is optional to mandatory depending on term.

Is this professor recommended?

WorthIt

72/100

Many call him the and curves, but a sizable group warns against the workload and test weight.

In person recommendation is warmer; online is more split between Easy B fans and overloaded critics.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Fair

62/100

and offline, but tests are hard and some call him a tough grader online.

Format shift

In person students stress huge curves; some online students report little .

Workload

Heavy

28/100

Weekly iVATs, notes, quizzes, and app exercises can take many hours, especially online or accelerated.

Format shift

Online and short terms get the harshest workload complaints.

Teaching experience

Good

70/100

Hilarious and , but others say he rambles or outsources learning to videos.

Format shift

In person personality shines; online leans on long recorded lectures.

Assessment method

FocusOnExams

78/100

Multiple exams with MC and written portions often make up most of the .

Format shift

Both formats are test-heavy; .

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

27 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

Funny flipped-classroom style with and , but still test-heavy and iVAT-driven.

Main concern

Some say class time rambles while real learning is pushed to videos and .

What students said

“He gave out a ridiculous amount of in our in person class.”
ECON2
“you get to use notes on the tests.”
ECON4
“Can't cheat on the ”
ECON4

Remote format

Online

23 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

Long lecture videos, weekly busywork, practice tests that mirror exams, and ; very test-weighted.

Main concern

Workload and test weight spike hard in 8-week online sections, with some calling it overwhelming.

What students said

“ . Easy Pass.”
ECON2
“Make sure that you do the and you will pass the tests.”
ECON4
“The workload for this class is ridiculous.”
ECON2

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

written responses, with practice tests and occasional curves.

Test heavyPractice tests mirror examsWritten exam portionMultiple choiceNotes allowed sometimesIn-person paper tests

Assessment risk

Standard

52/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

and hard, but notes or and review sessions are offered.

Paper in-class testsCurvesNotes allowed sometimesReview sessions
“Can't cheat on the ”
ECON4
“you get to use notes on the tests.”
ECON4
“he usually gives a .”
ECON2

Online

Online exams are not described as proctored; , and written portions appear regularly.

Not proctoredPractice testsWritten portionMultiple choiceTest heavy
“ . Easy Pass.”
ECON2
“ and multiple choice component.”
ECON4
“A lot of the ”
ECON2

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“Ames is the . Class is never dull or boring and he sets you up for success. Easy A if you do the work and .”

Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews, balancing praise for humor and and test-weight criticism. Credibility rating: High.

🎭 Entertainment Factor

78/100

“You will be ENTERTAINED!! His class is a "Idk how we got here, but we're making connection"”

📚 Workload Reality

28/100

“If u don't want to spend 17-30 hours a week on !”

🧪 Test Weight

45/100

“ and represent 78% of your grade.”

👍 Split Recommendation

72/100

“ as well”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • Makes class fun as well.
  • he is hilarious
  • topped off with orange county comedy.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

  • The class is really test heavy but the .
  • Easy B if you do the homework.

Theme 3

🎥 About iVATs & Busywork

  • His IVAT's are about 6 hours of lecture material per week
  • The videos are long, but you can watch them on 2x speed.
  • Lots of busy work in this online class

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

50

Recent reviews read by the AI

60

Lifetime ratings

88/100

Evidence confidence

50 mixed but detailed reviews spanning online and in person, with , and workload.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 541
4 out of 54
3 out of 54
2 out of 59
1 out of 55

Course coverage

ECON427 reviews
ECON223 reviews

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

46 reported outcomes

A range

21

A+ 6 · A 14 · A- 1

B range

14

B+ 8 · B 6

C range

6

C+ 2 · C 3 · C- 1

D range

1

D+ 1

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

4

Drop/Withdrawal 1 · Not sure yet 3