AI Rate Professor

Political Science

Richard Randall

POSCO1 · POLSCI1 · POLSC02 · POL101 · POLIS01A · POSC1 · POLSC1 · PS01 · POLISCI1 · POSC · PSCI1201 · A · POLYSCI01 · POL1 · POLYSCIENCE15 · POSC01 · 112 lifetime ratings

AI rating
78/100
RMP rating
4.3/5
Take again
83.78%
Difficulty
2.5

The decision

Take Randall for if you can handle a test-heavy grade.

Best fit · Self Taught ProStorytelling lecturesTest-only gradeHilariousNo homeworkStarred test hints
  • Entertaining life-story lectures make politics memorable for many students.
  • Almost no homework; the entire grade usually rests on a few hard exams.
  • Great if you take notes and study; rough if you are a weak test-taker.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

FairEffort

54/100

An A is possible with strong notes and study, but the grade is almost purely exam-based with little safety net.

Online sometimes adds Revel quiz replacements or exam extra credit; in .

Is the course easy?

Standard

52/100

Content is manageable and lecture-driven, but dense notes and memory-heavy tests raise the intellectual load for some.

Online and in person both stress listening to long lectures and studying for few big exams.

Is attendance flexible?

Recommended

68/100

Often not strictly mandatory, yet missing class means missing starred test material and story-linked content.

In person repeatedly warns not to skip; online warns not to skip videos or live sessions.

Is this professor recommended?

WorthIt

74/100

Most students enjoy his humor and stories, but recommendation drops for those who need homework buffers or hate high-stakes tests.

In-person opinions are mixed; the few online reviews are more positive when extra credit applies.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Fair

56/100

Often drops lowest exam and may add exam extra credit, but tough multi-choice tests still decide the grade.

Format shift

Online more often mentions 10-point exam extra credit and Revel replacements; in person is stricter test-only.

Workload

Light

80/100

Essentially no homework or quizzes most terms; workload shifts to note-taking and exam study.

Format shift

Both formats emphasize no homework; study load before exams can still feel heavy.

Teaching experience

Good

80/100

Hilarious, story-rich lectures win fans, though some say stories crowd out content or cancel without notice.

Format shift

Praise and complaints are mostly in person; online still calls lectures entertaining.

Assessment method

FocusOnExams

95/100

Grade almost entirely from 3-4 exams, sometimes with one essay; homework is rare or absent.

Format shift

Online may include Pearson quizzes that can replace an exam; in person is nearly pure 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

47 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

funny lectures, starred board notes for tests, and almost no homework.

Main concern

Grade depends almost only on long exams; weak note-takers and skippers struggle or drop.

What students said

“ ... If you do badly on the tests, there is nothing to bring your grade up!”
POSC01
“No homework all semester, your grade is based on 3 tests & a short essay.”
POSC01
“He will even put stars on the notes that are exact test questions.”
POSC01

Remote format

Online

3 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

Online reviews report lecture videos, few exams, and sometimes Pearson quizzes or extra credit; exams still drive the grade.

Main concern

Lecture videos are long and exams remain tough without strong note-taking.

What students said

“Very easy class. He gives 10 points extra credit for every exam. He drops your lowest exam”
POL1
“there was absolutely no homework, only 3 exams. watched the lecture videos which was time-consuming”
POSC01
“his exams are tough. Take good notes... Just don't skip class or you'll be lost.”
POSC01

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Student-facing risk is high because long memory-based exams dominate with limited alternative points.

Few long examsStarred lecture hintsLowest exam droppedEssay final (some)No homework buffer

Assessment risk

Standard

48/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

In-person exams are long and central; he stars board items that appear on tests and .

3-4 examsStarred test notesLowest grade droppedIn-class essay final (some)No homework
“his course grade is based off of 3 exams only.”
POSC01
“He will even put stars on the notes that are exact test questions.”
POSC01
“the lowest test grade is droped and the last test was an essay in class. difficult to cheat”
POSC01

Online

typically three exams with possible extra credit or Revel quiz replacements; no clear proctoring claims.

Three examsExam extra creditRevel quizzes (some)Lecture video hints
“He gives 10 points extra credit for every exam. He drops your lowest exam and if you finish all the quizzes on Pearson Revel, he will replace that grade for an exam.”
POL1
“only 3 exams... also he adds 10pts extra credit for each exam taken.”
POSC01

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“Easily the funniest teacher I've ever had. All you really have to do is write down what he stars on the board.”

Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews (47 in person, 3 online), focusing on storytelling and test-only grading. Credibility rating: High.

🎭 Storytelling Style

80/100

“He has so many great stories that tie into what we learn.”

📝 Test-Only Risk

48/100

“If you do badly on the tests, there is nothing to bring your grade up!”

👍 Worth Taking

74/100

“One of the ! Lectures are interesting and hilarious.”

⭐ Exam Hints

70/100

“pay attention to what he puts a star next to during his lectures. Those will be on the test.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • lectures were very interesting for me.
  • Funniest and .
  • Colorful with language, funny and kept his lectures interesting.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

  • No homework all semester, your grade is based on 3 tests & a short essay.
  • Tests are difficult (85 questions) so make sure you study or you will fail.
  • Easy A since... test score(s) can also be replaced by revel score(s).

Theme 3

⚠️ About Drawbacks

  • If you are not great at studying or note-taking, don't take this class.
  • 90% of class is life stories, 10% is class related.
  • he goes off of topic too much.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

50

Recent reviews read by the AI

112

Lifetime ratings

90/100

Evidence confidence

Fifty reviews across many years with recurring test-only and storytelling themes; some grade-variance noise remains.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 572
4 out of 521
3 out of 511
2 out of 56
1 out of 52

Course coverage

POSC0119 reviews
POLSC16 reviews
POLISCI15 reviews
POLSCI13 reviews
POSC13 reviews
Show 11 more courses
POL12 reviews
POLIS01A2 reviews
POSCO12 reviews
A1 review
POL1011 review
POLSC-021 review
POLYSCI011 review
POLYSCIENCE151 review
POSC1 review
PS011 review
PSCI12011 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

36 reported outcomes

A range

15

A+ 4 · A 11

B range

11

B+ 3 · B 7 · B- 1

C range

6

C 6

D range

1

D+ 1

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

3

Drop/Withdrawal 2 · Not sure yet 1