AI Rate Professor

Astronomy

Rick Nolthenius

ASTRO7 · ASTRO4 · ASTRO3 · ASTRO4AND7 · ASTRO27 · ASTRO1 · ASTRO8 · ASTRO486851 · 116 lifetime ratings

AI rating
24/100
RMP rating
2.3/5
Take again
28.95%
Difficulty
3.7

The decision

Avoid unless you are highly self-directed, already interested in the subject, and and outside resources.

Best fit · Self Taught ProConfusing lecturesHard quizzesLecture heavyPolitical tangentsFew graded items
  • Many students say , and sometimes hostile to questions.
  • Grades often depend on a small number of difficult quizzes and exams, so recovery is hard.
  • A minority of students value his knowledge and passion, especially when they already care about astronomy or climate topics.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

42/100

Some students earned A grades, but , and heavy independent studying as the real cost.

Online and , while in-person reviews add more complaints about few graded items.

Is the course easy?

Challenging

34/100

The course content becomes difficult because , and often disconnected from quizzes.

Online reviews emphasize hard-to-follow materials, while and tangents.

Is attendance flexible?

Recommended

35/100

as formally mandatory, but students repeatedly say missing lecture makes passing much harder.

Online reviews mention not skipping class, and quiz clues.

Is this professor recommended?

Avoid

30/100

because the teaching style, quizzes, and classroom tone create a frustrating experience.

Online reviews are mixed with a few strong defenders, while .

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Strict

30/100

and exams, though some reviews mention drops, , or generous grading in specific classes.

Format shift

Online reviews focus on hard quizzes, while few things.

Workload

Moderate

45/100

Workload varies, with some classes having little homework but , and quiz preparation.

Format shift

Online reviews describe more time-intensive self-study, while but demanding quiz prep.

Teaching experience

Poor

28/100

Students frequently describe him as knowledgeable but , and poor at answering questions.

Format shift

Online reviews are mixed, but .

Assessment method

FocusOnExams

86/100

Grades are repeatedly described as depending mainly on quizzes, tests, and a .

Format shift

Both formats emphasize quiz-heavy grading, with items.

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

44 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

In-person reviews are mostly negative, with repeated complaints about , political rants, harsh quizzes, and dismissive classroom interactions.

Main concern

Students often say the , and dominated by lectures and tangents.

What students said

“ .”
ASTRO4
“Teacher doesn't teach course content adequately.”
ASTRO3
“The ”
ASTRO3

Remote format

Online

6 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

Online reviews are split, but most warn that , and the workload can grow quickly.

Main concern

Online students most often struggle with and .

What students said

“His lectures and all.”
ASTRO4
“Small amount of work, but a critical error: .”
ASTRO27
“The quizzes are so hard!”
ASTRO4

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Reviews clearly support hard quiz and , but they do not clearly prove strict proctoring, Lockdown Browser, or a standard closed-book policy.

Hard QuizzesFew Graded ItemsFinal With Note SheetNo Clear Proctoring Evidence

Assessment risk

Standard

45/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

, and finals, with one review saying the final allowed one 8x11 note sheet.

Hard QuizzesTest HeavyFinal With Note Sheet
“For the notes”
ASTRO3
“ .”
ASTRO4
“ and exams.”
ASTRO7

Online

Online reviews clearly mention difficult or incoherent quizzes, but they do not clearly prove webcam, proctoring, Lockdown Browser, or open-book policies.

Hard QuizzesIncoherent Quiz QuestionsNo Clear Proctoring Evidence
“Small amount of work, but a critical error: .”
ASTRO27
“The quizzes are so hard!”
ASTRO4

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“ .”

Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews, highlighting key themes in , and format differences. Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

28/100

“Teacher doesn't teach course content adequately.”

⚖️

30/100

“You entire grade rests on six hard 9-12 question quizzes (60%) and the final.”

👍 Recommendation Risk

30/100

“ .”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • He
  • His lectures are always and pay attention to
  • Teacher yells at students.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty and Grades

  • The
  • The quizzes are so hard!
  • and exams.

Theme 3

❤️ About Student Experience

  • Rick's class has been one of .
  • He is an amazing teacher!
  • .

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

50

Recent reviews read by the AI

116

Lifetime ratings

88/100

Evidence confidence

The evidence is strong because 50 reviews span many years, include both formats, and repeatedly mention the , and .

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 516
4 out of 512
3 out of 518
2 out of 525
1 out of 546

Course coverage

ASTRO318 reviews
ASTRO416 reviews
ASTRO79 reviews
ASTRO83 reviews
ASTRO11 review
Show 3 more courses
ASTRO271 review
ASTRO4868511 review
ASTRO4AND71 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

38 reported outcomes

A range

16

A+ 1 · A 12 · A- 3

B range

7

B 6 · B- 1

C range

6

C+ 1 · C 5

D range

0

No reported values

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

9

Drop/Withdrawal 3 · Not sure yet 4 · Rather not say 2