AI Rate Professor

Physical Science

Bryan Heiberg

ASTR1 · ASTRONOMY1 · ENVRS1 · ASTRO1 · PHY3A · PHYS3A · 36 lifetime ratings

AI rating
34/100
RMP rating
2.7/5
Take again
27.59%
Difficulty
4.0

The decision

Avoid if ; only take him if you can self-teach physics hard and .

Best fit · Self Taught ProConfusing lecturesTough graderTest heavySelf-teach requiredProctorio online
  • Lectures are often confusing, tangent-heavy, and .
  • Exams and and are hard, with low class averages common.
  • Online sections use strict remote proctoring (Proctorio / remotely proctored) and draw especially harsh reviews.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

28/100

, and frequent C/D/drop outcomes mean an A requires heavy self-study, not just showing up.

; in-person students also report low averages despite bonus points.

Is the course easy?

Challenging

22/100

Physics and astronomy content is paced hard, concepts feel abstract, and many say the class is harder than expected for an intro sequence.

Both formats call the material hard; online students especially describe concepts made unnecessarily complicated.

Is attendance flexible?

Varies

48/100

Attendance is mandatory for some sections and optional for others, but and .

; online attendance is usually not the main issue.

Is this professor recommended?

Avoid

28/100

Only about a ; most advise taking another professor and self-teaching if stuck.

Online reviews are almost uniformly avoid; a minority of .

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Strict

28/100

Tough grader tag is common; bonus and exist but and low averages.

Format shift

; in-person notes some 5-10% EC bump.

Workload

Heavy

32/100

, and and reading called very demanding.

Format shift

and group reports add load; online adds proctored quizzes and awkward at-home labs.

Teaching experience

Poor

36/100

Students repeatedly say he confuses himself and them, goes on tangents, and forces textbook self-teaching despite being a .

Format shift

A few in-person fans praise knowledge and hints for free response; .

Assessment method

FocusOnExams

78/100

Quizzes and exams drive the grade; rather than weighted.

Format shift

and in person.

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

29 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

In-person PHYS3A and Astronomy are tough and test-heavy; some students call him nice with participation , but many say lectures confuse more than they help and you must learn from the book.

Main concern

, hard tests, and .

What students said

“The lectures might make you worse at physics if you follow along with as very low.”
PHYS3A
“This professor is just bad at teaching. He constantly goes on side tangents and confuses everyone.”
PHY3A
“Professor Heiberg is a tough professor but he does want his students to succeed. and rewards lecture participation with .”
PHYS3A

Remote format

Online

7 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

Online Physics and Astronomy sections are widely panned as hard, confusing, and set up to fail, with remote proctoring and home.

Main concern

and harsh grading make online sections especially risky.

What students said

“Do not take this course if you're not a fan of proctored exams, I dropped this class as soon as I saw "( .”
ASTR1
“Professor Heiberg uses Proctorio very strictly. . Jumps all over the place during lectures, making them impossible to follow.”
PHYS3A
“horrible class. i've never experienced a teacher who grades that hard. it felt as if the class was set up for us so fail.”
ASTR1

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exams are hard and central to the grade; online sections explicitly use Proctorio or remote proctoring.

Test heavyProctorioRemotely proctoredHard free responseQuiz heavy

Assessment risk

Strict

32/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

and and slides, with low class averages.

Hard examsQuiz heavyDerived from homework
“Most (if not all) of the and lecture slides.”
PHYS3A
“everyone is averaging 50% from every exam. we have quizes every class meet.”
ASTRO1

Online

Online quizzes and Sunday-only quiz windows reported.

ProctorioRemotely ProctoredPop quizzes
“Do not take this course if you're not a fan of proctored exams, I dropped this class as soon as I saw "( .”
ASTR1
“Yes but that is probably the .”
PHYS3A

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“The lectures might make you worse at physics if you follow along with as very low.”

Voice snapshots generated from 36 reviews (7 online, 29 in , and online proctoring. Credibility rating: High.

📉 Teaching Clarity

36/100

“He constantly goes on side tangents and confuses everyone, and has a very roundabout way of explaining anything.”

🚫

28/100

“ . LITERALLY TAKE ANOTHER PROFESSOR OR ANOTHER CLASS THAT FILLS THE REQUIREMENT”

📝

32/100

“Do not take this course if you're not a fan of proctored exams, I dropped this class as soon as I saw "( .”

⭐ Silver Lining

55/100

“ and rewards lecture participation with .”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • Lecture has few examples and FREQUENT mistakes
  • His , and the only clarity you’ll receive is from reading the text
  • nicest guy in the world but he gets puzzled explaining thigns all the time

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

  • as very low
  • i've never experienced a teacher who grades that hard
  • MIGHT PASS WITH A C WITH HOPEFULY

Theme 3

💻 About Online Format

  • Professor Heiberg uses Proctorio very strictly
  • person labs without any consideration for variations at home
  • I would

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

36

Recent reviews read by the AI

36

Lifetime ratings

86/100

Evidence confidence

36 detailed reviews spanning many years, both formats, and consistent themes on and .

Inside 36 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 58
4 out of 53
3 out of 56
2 out of 59
1 out of 510

Course coverage

PHYS3A18 reviews
ASTR16 reviews
ASTRO14 reviews
PHY3A4 reviews
ASTRONOMY13 reviews
Show 1 more courses
ENVRS11 review

Reported outcomes

B range results lead the reported letter grades.

28 reported outcomes

A range

5

A 5

B range

7

B+ 2 · B 5

C range

7

C+ 2 · C 3 · C- 2

D range

3

D+ 1 · D 1 · D- 1

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

6

Drop/Withdrawal 3 · Incomplete 1 · Not sure yet 1 · Rather not say 1