AI Rate Professor

Astronomy

Douglas McElroy

AST26 · ASTRO35 · ASTRON26 · ASTRON35 · ASTRO26 · 13 lifetime ratings

AI rating
60/100
RMP rating
3.5/5
Take again
50%
Difficulty
2.9

The decision

He can be worthwhile for students who enjoy astronomy and use , but recent organization and .

Best fit · Effort For RewardLecture heavyExtra credit availableMixed organizationTest heavyEngaging when prepared
  • Older in-person reviews are often enthusiastic, describing engaging lectures, humor, , and manageable tests.
  • Recent online and some in-person , and exams that do not match course material.
  • The experience appears highly format- and period-dependent, so students should expect inconsistency.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

FairEffort

67/100

and easy tests help, but and exam mismatch mean the A is not reliably effortless.

Online evidence is split between one easy A and , while in-person evidence more often supports manageable grades with .

Is the course easy?

Standard

59/100

Astronomy content is usually manageable when lectures and materials align, but organization problems can make the course harder than expected.

Online students report more confusion from exam mismatch, while if they pay attention and read.

Is attendance flexible?

Recommended

52/100

Some reviews say quizzes or class lectures make attendance important, though .

Online reviews include an attendance warning tag but , while and lectures reward attendance.

Is this professor recommended?

Depends

58/100

Recommendation is split because some students love his astronomy teaching while , and communication.

Online recommendations are mixed and recent online reviews are negative, while .

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Fair

58/100

and practice reviews help, but some students report and high-point exams with few questions.

Format shift

Online grading is more criticized, while and easy tests.

Workload

Moderate

56/100

Homework, quizzes, reading, tests, and can feel heavier online.

Format shift

Online reviews mention lots of homework and test-heavy grading, while , and reading as manageable.

Teaching experience

Average

62/100

Teaching reviews are polarized, ranging from inspiring and , and unhelpful.

Format shift

Online teaching feedback is mixed to negative in recent reviews, while and some later criticism.

Assessment method

Balanced

64/100

Assessments include homework, quizzes, tests, a final, and , with .

Format shift

Online reviews emphasize quizzes and exams, while in-person reviews mention , 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

10 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

In-person reviews are mostly positive before 2019, citing humor, clear lectures, , and easy tests, but newer reviews report disorganization and poor communication.

Main concern

Course quality may vary because some students report rude behavior, irrelevant quiz material, and poor grade updates.

What students said

“The professor also has lackluster communication skills and his layout on Canvas is filled with previous or other courses materials.”
ASTRON35
“Oh and the as well.”
ASTRON26
“Offers a lot of so .”
AST26

Remote format

Online

3 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

Online reviews are sharply split, with one easy positive A experience and two , and exams.

Main concern

Online exams and and homework.

What students said

“The issue was the quizzes and exams.”
ASTRON35
“ , and .”
ASTRON35
“ was given, i didnt do all that i could do and i still got an A.”
ASTRON26

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exam experiences vary from super easy with practice ; reviews do not clearly prove open-book, webcam, Lockdown Browser, or proctoring rules.

QuizzesHigh-Point ExamsPractice Review TestsTwo Tests And FinalExtra Credit

Assessment risk

Varies

54/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

, two tests, and a final, with some students finding tests easy.

Chapter QuizzesTwo TestsFinalPractice Review TestsEasy Tests
“There is a 10 question quiz on the lecture after every chapter”
ASTRON26
“Gives a .”
AST26
“He has 2 tests and a to prepare for.”
ASTRO26

Online

Online reviews mention quizzes and , but do not clearly prove webcam, proctoring, open-book, or Lockdown Browser rules.

High-Point ExamsFew QuestionsExam Mismatch
“100 point midterm/exam - 7 questions and they were fill in the blank.”
ASTRON35
“the .”
ASTRON35

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“Loved this class! Took it for summer and McElroy always let us out about an hour early each time.”

Voice snapshots generated from 13 reviews, highlighting key themes in , and workload. Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

62/100

“He's an incredibly smart person with just so much knowledge of the subject he teaches.”

⚖️

58/100

“The grades you see while taking the class are not a reflection of as the professor does not consistently update the grades.”

🧪

54/100

“They did not correlate with the lectures and were counted as a huge amount of .”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • This man is my inspiration and .
  • Fun teacher, lectures never get boring.
  • , and .

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

  • was given, i didnt do all that i could do and i still got an A.
  • Offers a lot of so .
  • The , but you had like 3 tries before it was marked wrong

Theme 3

📝 About Exams

  • The issue was the quizzes and exams.
  • Oh and the as well.
  • Not much and quizzes online + 2 tests and a .

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

13

Recent reviews read by the AI

13

Lifetime ratings

80/100

Evidence confidence

Thirteen reviews provide enough detail across formats and years, though opinions shift sharply between older positive and newer negative experiences.

Inside 13 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 55
4 out of 53
3 out of 50
2 out of 53
1 out of 52

Course coverage

ASTRON267 reviews
ASTRON353 reviews
AST261 review
ASTRO261 review
ASTRO351 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

11 reported outcomes

A range

4

A+ 2 · A 2

B range

2

B 1 · B- 1

C range

3

C+ 1 · C 2

D range

1

D 1

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

1

Not sure yet 1