AI Rate Professor

History

Derek Cowell

HIST101 · HISTORY101102 · HIST102 · MHIST102 · HISTORY102 · HIST104 · HISTORY101 · 78 lifetime ratings

AI rating
78/100
RMP rating
4.3/5
Take again
79.41%
Difficulty
2.1

The decision

Prefer Cowell in person for an engaging history GE; online is and weaker communication.

Best fit · Effort For RewardLecture heavyGroup projectsCaring but disorganizedStudy guidesGet ready to read
  • In-person students often love his passion, kindness, and .
  • Online sections draw , and uneven points.
  • Workload is usually light-to-moderate with , but structure and engagement vary widely.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

FairEffort

68/100

Many students get A or B with study guides and open notes, but grades are not automatic and some report tough or .

In-person students more often report fair or ; some online students say .

Is the course easy?

Beginner

70/100

, and guided tests rather than advanced history theory, though lectures can be dense.

Online and reading complaints online.

Is attendance flexible?

Varies

48/100

and participation-heavy, while other reviews say missing class did not hurt the grade.

In-person attendance pressure is higher; .

Is this professor recommended?

WorthIt

72/100

About four in despite a vocal minority of negative online and older reviews.

Recommendation is much stronger for in-person than online.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Lenient

72/100

Study guides, open notes, late-work flexibility, and many A/B grades outweigh a smaller set of .

Format shift

; some online students report missing full marks and .

Workload

Light

74/100

Typical load is short analyses, group work, a few tests, and , though .

Format shift

; many in-person summer sections call the load light.

Teaching experience

Good

78/100

Passion, knowledge, and care are widely praised, tempered by disorganization, fast talk, and uneven online engagement.

Format shift

Teaching praise is strongest in person; online quality scores are more mixed.

Assessment method

Balanced

50/100

Courses mix short written analyses or and sometimes a .

Format shift

; online leans toward weekly papers and exams.

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

42 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

short analyses, study guides, and many students praising his passion and care.

Main concern

Organization and lecture pace can feel scattered, and a minority find him .

What students said

“Derek himself is simply an amazing person to be around.”
HIST102
“He isn't a and stays around after class for questions”
HIST101
“ . , and the lectures are all over the place.”
HIST101

Remote format

Online

8 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

some call the class easy with optional Zoom EC, while , and unreturned emails.

Main concern

and weak email responsiveness can block rewrites and .

What students said

“ . Expect for .”
HIST101
“Takes forever to grade.”
HIST101
“ for GE purposes, but if it's your major then perhaps you'd want a more engaging teacher.”
HIST101

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Many students report study guides that match tests and .

Study guidesOpen notesReview daysMultiple choice testsOptional Zoom EC

Assessment risk

StudentFriendly

78/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

review days and sometimes open notes or open book.

Study guidesOpen notesReview dayMultiple choice
“He gives you the review for the and allows open notes!”
HIST102
“Study guides are exactly in order and the .”
HIST102
“ incredibly helpful.”
HIST101

Online

Online exams use study guides and optional Zoom review, but some say guides are incomplete and .

Study guidesOptional Zoom ECSlow grading
“He gives a study guide but the wording is a before the test.”
HIST101
“ test day and some questions werent covered in any readings, so you have to guess.”
HIST101

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“ . online.”

Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews (8 online, 42 in person), balancing strong in-person praise with online communication complaints. Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

78/100

“He is truly passionate about History. He makes the work easy and replies with thoughtful comments.”

🖥️ Online Risk

40/100

“Expect for .”

❤️ Care for Students

85/100

“I literally cried when he told me he would help me in getting my grade up.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • Great teacher, very lecture and talking heavy but if you listen you'll understand.
  • His passion for history is contagious.
  • he's not that bad but don't expect the packets he gives.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

  • but still a great teacher.
  • He's a but is very boring.
  • Does not give full marks for any assignment

Theme 3

🖥️ About Online vs In Person

  • . online.
  • Took until the last week of semester to grade the assigments

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

50

Recent reviews read by the AI

78

Lifetime ratings

88/100

Evidence confidence

Fifty reviews spanning many years provide rich detail; opinions diverge by format, but patterns on passion, lectures, and .

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 555
4 out of 511
3 out of 56
2 out of 52
1 out of 54

Course coverage

HIST10127 reviews
HIST10214 reviews
HISTORY1012 reviews
HISTORY1022 reviews
MHIST1022 reviews
Show 3 more courses
1021 review
HIST1041 review
HISTORY1011021 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

34 reported outcomes

A range

23

A+ 6 · A 16 · A- 1

B range

6

B+ 4 · B 2

C range

0

No reported values

D range

1

D 1

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

4

Not sure yet 3 · Rather not say 1