AI Rate Professor

Geology

Don Barrie

GEOL101 · GEO104 · GEOL100 · GEO100H · GEOL104 · GEO100101 · GEO111 · GEOLOGY · HIST100 · GEO100 · GEO101L · 145 lifetime ratings

AI rating
91/100
RMP rating
4.6/5
Take again
88.89%
Difficulty
3.0

The decision

if you want to actually learn geology; show up, study the terms, and use office hours.

Best fit · Effort For RewardAmazing lecturesPassionate geologistExtra creditField tripsNot a blow-off
  • and field trips make geology engaging and memorable.
  • An A takes real study of vocab and concepts, not just showing up.
  • Online and and timed tests, so plan weekly work.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

FairEffort

54/100

You can earn a strong grade with , and review sessions, but .

Online ; in person more often say lecture attendance plus balances grades.

Is the course easy?

Standard

48/100

Intro geology still piles on vocabulary and concepts that feel advanced for a 100-level course if you fall behind.

Online and short sessions feel harder; .

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

28/100

and tags warn that skipping means you will not pass.

Both formats emphasize participation; in person ties credit to class activities and field trips.

Is this professor recommended?

MustTake

89/100

Most students call him a top Mesa science professor who cares, prepares you well, and .

Recommendation is strong in both formats; a few online and accelerated students warn about difficulty.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Fair

62/100

Clear criteria and help, but some call him a .

Format shift

; in person more often praises fair flexible grading.

Workload

Moderate

46/100

Expect , and exam prep rather than a featherlight load.

Format shift

Online and 8-week courses report heavier .

Teaching experience

Excellent

90/100

Students repeatedly praise passionate, clear, real-world lectures, humor, and accessibility.

Format shift

Teaching praise is consistent online and in person.

Assessment method

Balanced

55/100

, and midterms or finals.

Format shift

Online leans quiz and discussion heavy; in person adds field trips 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

37 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

, review sessions, and strong support if you participate.

Main concern

and dense vocab; 8-week versions feel like too much work.

What students said

“This class isn't an easy A but his lectures were the highlight of my week.”
GEO104
“Show up to his lectures and pay attention and you will pass easily, and can even get an A easily.”
GEO100
“This is the hardest class I've taken in my college career.”
GEO100

Remote format

Online

13 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

Online is structured and demanding with , and real learning if you keep up.

Main concern

and heavy weekly work can tank grades in accelerated sessions.

What students said

“ and closed book; memorization of tons of terms is a must.”
GEO100
“NOT THE USUAL BLOW OFF ONLINE CLASS. .”
GEOL100
“ and only gave 30mins but... He gives so it balanced.”
GEO100

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exams need study of terms and concepts; they are fair if you use reviews but .

Timed testsClosed book (online)Vocabulary heavyReview sessionsStudy guides

Assessment risk

Standard

48/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

and short answer with helpful review sessions.

Review sessionsStudy guidesMultiple choice and short answerDiagrams
“ , but he does an amazing job preparing you”
GEO104
“Gives out .”
GEOL100

Online

Online reviews describe tough timed tests and closed-book memorization of many terms.

Timed testsClosed bookHeavy memorization
“ and closed book; memorization of tons of terms is a must.”
GEO100
“ and only gave 30mins”
GEO100

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“This class isn't an easy A but his lectures were the highlight of my week.”

Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews spanning online and in-person geology courses, emphasizing teaching passion, fair effort for grades, and format workload. Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

90/100

“ ! He cares so much and makes the material manageable”

👍 Recommendation Rate

89/100

“I definitely recommend everyone to take him for Geology if they need a science class. !!!”

📈 Difficulty Reality

54/100

“Great professor, but incredibly difficult.”

❤️ Passion and Care

92/100

“He's an extremely smart man and is very passionate about what he does.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • lectures were the highlight of my week
  • geologist version of Bill Nye
  • Funny and !

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty and Grades

  • isn't an easy A
  • memorization of tons of terms is a must
  • so it balanced

Theme 3

🧪 About Workload and Format

  • NOT THE USUAL BLOW OFF ONLINE CLASS
  • lot of content but if you go to lecture and participate it is easy
  • try 16 if you can

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

50

Recent reviews read by the AI

145

Lifetime ratings

88/100

Evidence confidence

Fifty detailed reviews across many years and both formats show consistent praise for teaching with honest notes on difficulty.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 5113
4 out of 518
3 out of 511
2 out of 52
1 out of 51

Course coverage

GEO10025 reviews
GEOL10010 reviews
GEO1043 reviews
GEOL1012 reviews
GEOL1042 reviews
Show 7 more courses
GEOLOGY2 reviews
701641 review
GEO1001011 review
GEO100H1 review
GEO101L1 review
GEO1111 review
HIST1001 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

29 reported outcomes

A range

14

A+ 5 · A 7 · A- 2

B range

9

B+ 3 · B 5 · B- 1

C range

2

C+ 1 · C- 1

D range

0

No reported values

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

4

Not sure yet 4