AI Rate Professor

Physics & Astronomy

Michael Richardson

PHYSI430 · PHYS430 · ASTR300 · PHYS401 · PHYSICS410 · ASTR310 · ASTRO320 · PHYS310 · PHYS420 · AST310 · ASTR320 · PHYS410 · ASTRO310 · 69 lifetime ratings

AI rating
28/100
RMP rating
2.6/5
Take again
18.18%
Difficulty
3.8

The decision

Avoid unless you are already strong at teaching yourself from the book and want a hard physics challenge.

Best fit · Self Taught ProTeach yourself from the bookHard examsQuiet monotone lecturesPartial credit possibleNot online-friendly
  • Most students say lectures are unhelpful and .
  • Exams and quizzes are hard and often feel poorly aligned with lecture, though some report generous partial credit.
  • A minority of motivated self-learners find him fair and rewarding; online and .

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

28/100

Comments , and that an A requires mastering details beyond the book examples.

Online reviews also describe high difficulty; .

Is the course easy?

Challenging

26/100

Physics and astronomy content , and poorly scaffolded by lecture.

Both formats report high intellectual challenge; online adds platform friction.

Is attendance flexible?

Varies

42/100

while others stress worksheets, discussions, or skip-class-you-will-not-pass outcomes.

; in-person reports are mixed.

Is this professor recommended?

Avoid

22/100

and most students urge others to pick a different professor.

Online reviews are strongly negative; a minority of .

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Fair

48/100

, but several students say he gives partial credit when he can see your process.

Format shift

Online reviews do not emphasize partial credit; in-person comments are mixed but more detailed.

Workload

Heavy

28/100

, and as very time-consuming.

Format shift

and homework; online adds Canvas chaos.

Teaching experience

Poor

32/100

Dominant theme is unhelpful, quiet, off-topic lectures with students forced to self-teach.

Format shift

Online teaching is especially poorly rated; in-person is only slightly better for motivated students.

Assessment method

FocusOnExams

72/100

and , and occasional presentations.

Format shift

; online notes quizzes 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

48 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

In-person students commonly call lectures rambling or inaudible and , and lots of homework.

Main concern

, and a low would-take-again rate for students who need structured teaching.

What students said

“Don't go to lecture, it's worthless. If yourself the material from the book.”
PHYS410
“ . You can use 3x5 note card for ”
PHYS420
“I dropped after 2 weeks. He doesn't answer questions clearly. He speaks soooo quietly you have to sit in the front row to even hear him.”
PHYS410

Remote format

Online

2 reviews

Low confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

Online sections during COVID were described as poorly managed on Canvas with useless lectures and .

Main concern

, and no real teaching online.

What students said

“Lectures are useless, all proof and zero examples. Combine this with an online only format and you have to try to read his notes because the writing is so sloppy.”
PHYS410
“Some teachers are just NOT meant to teach online and he is one of them.”
ASTR310

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exams are widely described as hard, awkward, and .

Hard ExamsSometimes Note Card AllowedNo Cheat Sheet In Some SectionsQuiz Heavy

Assessment risk

Strict

34/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

; some allow a small note card while others ban cheat sheets and expect deeper applications or derivations.

Hard Exams3x5 Note Card SometimesNo Note Sheet In Some CoursesPartial Credit For Process
“ . You can use 3x5 note card for ”
PHYS420
“EXPECTS DERIVATIONS, no note sheet, tests .”
PHYS420

Online

Online reviews ; they focus on hard content and Canvas quiz mishaps rather than open-book proof.

Quiz Mishaps On CanvasHard Content
“he will say one thing but then mess up and do something else and WHOOPS you missed the quiz? Too bad”
ASTR310

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“Don't go to lecture, it's worthless. If yourself the material from the book.”

Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews (2 online, 48 in-person), , and low recommendation. Credibility rating: High.

📚

32/100

“Expect to teach yourself everything from the book Lectures are useless he doesn't prepare ahead of time so he just rambles while sitting on a stool”

🧪

34/100

“ . You can use 3x5 note card for ”

👎

22/100

“I suggest going to another campus before taking this professor.”

💻 Online Weak Spot

18/100

“Some teachers are just NOT meant to teach online and he is one of them.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • Lectures are pointless. Not once during the semester did I see him work out an example problem in class.
  • He speaks soooo quietly you have to sit in the front row to even hear him.
  • he's a brilliant person and scientist, but you'll need to learn how to learn the material on your own

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

  • This class was extremely hard! Lectures are long and boring.
  • he is a as long as he can see your thought process
  • Overall, a very time consuming class. if you have the time you can get an A.

Theme 3

💻 About Online Format

  • Lectures are useless, all proof and zero examples.
  • he has NO and it messes with your grade so much.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

50

Recent reviews read by the AI

69

Lifetime ratings

86/100

Evidence confidence

Fifty detailed reviews across many years and courses show a consistent self-teach and .

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 515
4 out of 56
3 out of 515
2 out of 517
1 out of 516

Course coverage

PHYS41013 reviews
ASTR3109 reviews
PHYS4206 reviews
ASTR3205 reviews
PHYS3104 reviews
Show 9 more courses
ASTRO3203 reviews
ASTRO3102 reviews
PHYS4302 reviews
4101 review
AST3101 review
ASTR3001 review
PHYS4011 review
PHYSI4301 review
PHYSICS4101 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

11 reported outcomes

A range

4

A+ 1 · A 1 · A- 2

B range

3

B+ 1 · B 2

C range

1

C 1

D range

0

No reported values

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

3

Not sure yet 3