Shawn Carney

D85 · DRFT45 · DRAFT6065 · DRAFT65 · DRFT060 · DRFT80 · DRAFT60 · DRFT080 · D45 · DRAFT80 · DRFT85 · CIVILDRAFTING · TUTR500 · DRAFT080 · DRAFT85 · DFRT45 · DRFT60 · D80 · CIVIL80 · 46 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 93/100
RMP rating: 4.8/5
Take again: 100%
Difficulty: 3.8

The decision

if you want real drafting skills and are willing to work hard; he will help you succeed but will not hand out easy As.

Best fit · Effort For RewardIndustry-Ready CAD MentorPatient ExplainerDense But Fair LecturesEffort-Based GradingAlways Available for Help

Extremely patient and stays available outside class.
Course content is dense and industry-focused; grades reward real effort and As.
Near-universal praise and 100% would-take-again among those who reported; ideal if you want job-ready drafting skills.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

FairEffort

58/100

An A is realistic if you attend, do the homework, and put in quality effort, but the course is not a free or minimal-effort A.

Online and ; online adds and clear criteria.

Is the course easy?

Challenging

32/100

Drafting content is dense, lectures are lengthy, and many students call the material hard even when they succeed.

Both formats describe solid difficulty; online condensed terms felt especially tough.

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

35/100

as mandatory or stress that you must show up and stay on top of work to pass.

Online mixed mandatory vs optional; as required for success.

Is this professor recommended?

MustTake

97/100

Students overwhelmingly call him the best drafting teacher and industry work.

Strong recommendation across online and in-person reviews.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Fair

62/100

Grades track effort and ; not harsh, but not free-pass generous either.

Format shift

and ; in-person emphasize earning the grade.

Workload

Heavy

28/100

Lots of , and heavy note-taking; students warn not to pair it with a full load and full-time work.

Format shift

Workload comments are stronger in older in-person reviews; online still notes surprising difficulty.

Teaching experience

Excellent

96/100

Consistently praised as , and willing to re-explain until students get it.

Format shift

Praise is equally strong online and in person.

Assessment method

Balanced

48/100

and homework; effort on both sides drives the grade.

Format shift

Both formats emphasize assignments and tests tied to class material.

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

41 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

In-person students describe dense, lengthy lectures, challenging but , and a teacher who prepares you for industry CAD work.

Main concern

Heavy workload and dense material; falling behind makes the class much harder.

What students said

“His lectures are long and typically topics get covered in usually one day, so .”
CIVILDRAFTING

“I'd rather work to get my A than get an easy A. Other drafting courses I've taken at Solano are too easy.”
D80

“Best instructor I have ever had! Yes, his class is hard but the wealth of knowledge .”
DRFT80

Remote format

Online

5 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

Online students found and , and flexible with schedules during condensed terms.

Main concern

Condensed online terms can feel surprisingly difficult; stay on top of work and communicate early.

What students said

“Dr. . and would work with my schedule.”
DRAFT080

“He , and made time to ensure each student understood the curriculum.”
CIVIL80

“The class was surprisingly difficult but there wasn't a question he couldn't answer. Very skilled in AutoCAD.”
D80

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exams are challenging but drawn from lectures and assignments; strong prep and practice make them manageable.

Tests Reflect LecturesAssignment-Aligned ExamsChallenging But Fair

Assessment risk

Standard

55/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

but reflect lectures and assignments if you practice and stay current.

Tests Reflect LecturesPractice HeavyChallenging If Behind

“ , but and lectures.”
D80

“The and he prepared you pretty well.. just make sure to practice, practice, practice.”
DRFT45

Online

Online reviews barely detail exam logistics; difficulty is noted but .

Difficulty NotedClear Grading Criteria

“The class was surprisingly difficult but there wasn't a question he couldn't answer.”
D80

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“I'd rather work to get my A than get an easy A. Other drafting courses I've taken at Solano are too easy. Get ready to learn ALOT in this class.”
Voice snapshots generated from 46 reviews spanning online and in-person CAD/drafting courses, , and industry focus. Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

96/100

“Shawn is the . and patient. He always likes to answer your questions.”

👍 Recommendation Rate

97/100

“I would absolutely recommend this professor to anybody who plans on being a drafter in industry.”

⚖️ Effort-Based Grades

58/100

“The but doable and grades are rewarded by effort and quality.”

📚 Workload Reality

28/100

“One caveat... and work full time when taking this particular class. There is a lot of work to be done.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

Always greets students with a smile and willing to help.
He puts forth a ton of extra effort to make sure his subjects are taught clearly.
Extremely patient and goes the extra mile to make sure his students understand.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

I'd rather work to get my A than get an easy A.
His lecture material is very dense and .
Be prepared to work and study really hard- he will certainly make you earn your grade.

Theme 3

💼 About Industry Prep

Teaches you skills and knowledge based on what he would expect a civil drafting employee to know.
Kept it real, made it challenging, gave you inside tips that other teachers don't give.
He teaches you only what you need to know to go to work in the real world.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

Lifetime ratings

88/100

Evidence confidence

46 detailed reviews spanning many years with highly consistent praise for teaching quality and industry focus.

Inside 46 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 541

4 out of 54

3 out of 51

2 out of 50

1 out of 50

Course coverage

D808 reviews

DRFT807 reviews

DRAFT606 reviews

DRAFT804 reviews

DRFT0804 reviews

Show 14 more courses

CIVIL802 reviews

DRAFT0802 reviews

DRAFT852 reviews

CIVILDRAFTING1 review

D451 review

D851 review

DFRT451 review

DRAFT60651 review

DRAFT651 review

DRFT0601 review

DRFT451 review

DRFT601 review

DRFT851 review

TUTR5001 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

7 reported outcomes

A range

A 2 · A- 3

B range

B 1

C range

No reported values

D range

No reported values

F

No reported values

No letter grade reported

Not sure yet 1

Shawn Carney

x x if you want real drafting skills and are willing to work hard; he will help you succeed but will not hand out easy As.

Four answers before you build your schedule.

FairEffort

Challenging

Mandatory

MustTake

See how this professor fits your week.

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

In person

Online

See what students actually said.

🎯 Teaching Quality

👍 Recommendation Rate

⚖️ Effort-Based Grades

📚 Workload Reality

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

💼 About Industry Prep

See exactly what the AI read.

Quality ratings

Course coverage

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

A range

B range

C range

D range

F

No letter grade reported

if you want real drafting skills and are willing to work hard; he will help you succeed but will not hand out easy As.