AI Rate Professor

Biology

Zachary Hanscom

BIO110 · BIO120 · BIO150 · BIOL110 · BIOL120 · 7 lifetime ratings

AI rating
22/100
RMP rating
2.4/5
Take again
—
Difficulty
4.1

The decision

Avoid unless you want a tough online-style biology load and .

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerHeavy WorkloadUnresponsive EmailsHarsh GraderOpinionatedConfrontational
  • Workload is heavy for unit value with and semester PowerPoints.
  • slow or and confrontational tone.
  • and an A requires strong effort and excellence, not minimal work.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

32/100

An A needs , and retaking tests; several students say even strong work is graded harshly.

Both the one Online review and In person reviews describe heavy work for grades; no free-A claims.

Is the course easy?

Challenging

28/100

Content and builds, PowerPoints, discussions, and high difficulty ratings.

Online and In person comments both stress high workload and challenge.

Is attendance flexible?

Varies

50/100

Reviews ; focus is on online-style work rather than seat-time policy.

in comments.

Is this professor recommended?

Avoid

22/100

Most students warn others off due , and harsh interpersonal tone.

The single Online review and most In person reviews advise looking elsewhere.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Harsh

24/100

Students report , and A-level excellence demanded.

Format shift

.

Workload

Heavy

22/100

Wiki projects, semester PowerPoints, high course load, and too much work for 3 units are common.

Format shift

Online review and older In person reviews both flag heavy workload.

Teaching experience

Poor

28/100

and discussion boards, but insults, arrogance, and nonresponse dominate.

Format shift

In person reviews drive the poor communication narrative; one Online review focuses on overload.

Assessment method

FocusOnAssignments

35/100

Projects, discussion boards, wiki work, and .

Format shift

Assignment-heavy structure appears across formats.

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

6 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

In-person labeled reviews still describe online-style biology with , and frequent email silence; a minority call it rewarding with .

Main concern

, and condescending interactions.

What students said

“He is arrogant & pretentious.”
BIOL110
“he was nonresponsive to my emails, a critical aspect of an online course.”
BIO110
“Promotes critical thinking and demands excellence for an A grade.”
BIOL110

Remote format

Online

1 reviews

Low confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

One online review calls the 3-unit load excessive with a wiki project and advises picking another instructor if you are busy.

Main concern

Too much work relative to units and limited guidance for juggling other classes.

What students said

“Way too much work involved for a 3 unit course. Building a Wiki page, really?”
BIOL120

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Tests can be taken twice and kept for the final, but overall assessment risk is standard with .

Retakeable TestsDiscussionsProject Heavy

Assessment risk

Standard

55/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

One student notes taking tests both times and keeping them for the final; no Lockdown or webcam claims.

Retakeable TestsProject Heavy
“ and keep them for the final.”
BIO150

Online

; the Online review focuses on excessive project work.

Heavy Projects
“Way too much work involved for a 3 unit course. Building a Wiki page, really?”
BIOL120

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“Beware of taking his class.”

Voice snapshots generated from 7 reviews (1 Online, 6 In , and communication. Credibility rating: Medium.

📧

22/100

“ .”

📚 Overload for Units

22/100

“Way too much work involved for a 3 unit course.”

⚖️ Harsh Path to A

32/100

“demands excellence for an A grade.”

👎

22/100

“ if you're taking more than two classes.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • Dr. Hanscom insults students
  • is confrontational
  • Opinionated, but fair and allows expression.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

  • Yet he grades too harshly
  • You have to put in the work to get an A but it is not hard work.
  • High course load of work required.

Theme 3

💬 About Communication

  • he was nonresponsive to my emails
  • Syllabus is outdated.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

7

Recent reviews read by the AI

7

Lifetime ratings

55/100

Evidence confidence

Seven detailed but older reviews (2008-2014) show consistent themes on workload and communication, with limited grade data.

Inside 7 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 50
4 out of 52
3 out of 51
2 out of 53
1 out of 51

Course coverage

BIOL1103 reviews
BIO1101 review
BIO1201 review
BIO1501 review
BIOL1201 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

0 reported outcomes

A range

0

No reported values

B range

0

No reported values

C range

0

No reported values

D range

0

No reported values

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

0

No reported values