AI Rate Professor

Design

Alex Gardos

GDSN150 · GDSN164 · GDSN178 · GD178 · GDSN151 · 18 lifetime ratings

AI rating
34/100
RMP rating
2.8/5
Take again
44.44%
Difficulty
3.8

The decision

if graphic design is your major and you can handle a very high work volume; casual students should look elsewhere.

Best fit · Effort For RewardHeavy WorkloadTough GraderPolarizing ReviewsExtra Credit HeavyOutdated Materials
  • Reviews are sharply split between older fans who call him a design god and recent .
  • Workload is consistently heavy with lots of , and busywork that some say is irrelevant to modern design.
  • Grades can still land in the A range if you grind, but feedback and lecture quality are widely criticized as thin or outdated.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

38/100

Many students still report As, but tough grading, nitpicky standards, and a effort.

Both online and ; online adds more complaints about nitpicking with little support.

Is the course easy?

Challenging

34/100

Content itself is not always conceptually brutal, but volume, repetition, and hard.

Online students stress confusion and outdated materials more; if you keep up.

Is attendance flexible?

Varies

52/100

as mandatory and others as optional, so flexibility depends on the specific class.

Online and in-person both show mixed mandatory vs optional reports with no single rule.

Is this professor recommended?

Depends

42/100

; design majors who want rigor sometimes love him, while many recent students strongly warn others away.

Recent online reviews are far .

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Strict

28/100

Tough grader tags dominate, with nitpicking and high standards even .

Format shift

Online reviews emphasize .

Workload

Heavy

22/100

Lots of , and repetitive assignments are mentioned across nearly every review.

Format shift

Both formats report heavy work; online students more often call it irrelevant busywork.

Teaching experience

Poor

36/100

and feedback, but many say lectures are thin, recycled, and low effort.

Format shift

; online is mostly critical of instruction quality.

Assessment method

FocusOnAssignments

28/100

Grades center on projects, design papers, peer critiques, sketches, and .

Format shift

Same assignment-heavy pattern online and in person.

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

Medium confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

older students praise clear video guides, rubrics, studio structure, and , while and confusing long lectures.

Main concern

Even fans warn of a very high work volume that can overwhelm students with other classes.

What students said

“All of his assignments have video guides so and how to do it.”
GDSN150
“Professor Gardos is the GRAPHIC DESIGN GOD!”
GDSN164
“He assigns a LOT of HW. Also a so be prepared.”
GDSN150

Remote format

Online

8 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

outdated briefs and , and repetitive busywork that left many feeling unprepared for real design work.

Main concern

Minimal meaningful instruction online and heavy busywork that does not map to modern design skills.

What students said

“Straight up, probably one of the .”
GDSN150
“ !!!”
GDSN164
“overbearing workload, lack of meaningful instruction, and reliance on outdated materials”
GDSN150

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Reviews rarely describe traditional proctored exams and instead emphasize projects, papers, and .

Project BasedExtra CreditPeer CritiquesStudio Style Work

Assessment risk

Varies

55/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

, and large extra-credit pools more than closed-book exams.

Project PresentationsExtra CreditDemos Per Assignment
“He gives A LOT of work BUT TONS of .”
GDSN178

Online

Online comments focus on assignment volume and poor .

Heavy AssignmentsLittle Guidance
“ but he assigns so much to the and over.”
GDSN164

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“Don't have any other choice of professor if taking a design course. He assigns a LOT of HW. Also a so be prepared.”

Voice snapshots generated from 18 reviews spanning 2016-2025, highlighting workload, polarization, and format differences. Credibility rating: High.

📚 Workload Reality

22/100

“Overall, this class takes most of your time, and if you taking like 3,4 other classes. Good luck managing the time cuz I cant do all that.”

🔀 Polarized Teaching

36/100

“Professor Gardos is the GRAPHIC DESIGN GOD! He's inspiring and gives a lot of .”

⚠️ Recent Warning Trend

30/100

“Being totally honest here, take a trade or .”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • instruction is really long and confusing
  • Doesn't really seem to put in much effort into lectures

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

  • Also a so be prepared
  • If you show up its an easy B
  • offers about 600+ points of

Theme 3

🛠️ About Work & Materials

  • relies on outdated materials
  • assigns a LOT of HW
  • everything he assigns is fun or good practice

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

18

Recent reviews read by the AI

18

Lifetime ratings

82/100

Evidence confidence

Eighteen reviews across several years and both formats show a consistent heavy-workload theme despite strong polarization on teaching quality.

Inside 18 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 58
4 out of 50
3 out of 50
2 out of 50
1 out of 510

Course coverage

GDSN1508 reviews
GDSN1646 reviews
GDSN1782 reviews
GD1781 review
GDSN1511 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

18 reported outcomes

A range

11

A+ 3 · A 7 · A- 1

B range

4

B+ 2 · B 2

C range

0

No reported values

D range

0

No reported values

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

3

Rather not say 3