AI Rate Professor

Earth Science

Tor Lacy

GEOL101 · ESCI110 · GEOL102 · GEOG101 · ESC110 · GEOLOGY101 · GEOL201 · GEOLOGY102 · GEOLOGYWLAB · GEOL204 · GEO101 · GOL101 · 96 lifetime ratings

AI rating
83/100
RMP rating
4.2/5
Take again
79.49%
Difficulty
3.1

The decision

if you want an engaging science professor and can keep up with , and exams.

Best fit · Effort For RewardPassionate lecturerHeavy homeworkExtra creditClear and caringField trips and labs
  • Students consistently praise Lacy as , and invested in learning.
  • The workload is often heavy, especially online and in accelerated courses, but many say the work is manageable if you keep up.
  • Grades are often helped , and repeated practice, though exams and field work can be demanding.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

FairEffort

72/100

Many students earn A grades with and clear expectations, but they must keep up with , and labs.

Online reviews mention open-note work and multiple attempts, while in-person reviews , and exams.

Is the course easy?

Standard

58/100

The and interesting, but the , and workload keep the course from feeling easy.

Online content is often simple but assignment-heavy, while and .

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

25/100

Many , and daily quizzes directly affect grades.

, while online reviews focus more on keeping up with modules and deadlines.

Is this professor recommended?

WorthIt

82/100

Most students recommend him because , and generous with support, despite the heavy workload.

Both formats are broadly positive, but online reviews show more workload complaints.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Lenient

74/100

, and helpful feedback make grading feel forgiving when students do the work.

Format shift

Online reviews mention open-note work and multiple test attempts, while and study support.

Workload

Heavy

30/100

Students repeatedly describe lots of , and field work, especially in short courses.

Format shift

Online accelerated courses are often called heavy, and and field trips.

Teaching experience

Excellent

90/100

Students overwhelmingly describe him as , and able to make geology engaging.

Format shift

Both formats strongly praise his teaching, with , and field trips.

Assessment method

Balanced

62/100

Grades appear to combine homework, labs, , and exams.

Format shift

Online reviews emphasize modules, quizzes, finals, and projects, while , and field trips.

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

38 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

In-person students usually , and field trips, but they stress that , and exams matter.

Main concern

the grade.

What students said

“You should attend every class and there are also field trips that you have to attend.”
GEOG101
“The so make sure to make time for it.”
GEO101
“This class was easy! He gives a but as long as you do the .”
GEOL101

Remote format

Online

12 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

Online courses are praised for , and , but several students warn the workload is heavy.

Main concern

Online workload can become overwhelming in 9-week or summer formats.

What students said

“Lots of homework (I took 9-week, online classes) but not really hard.”
GEOL102
“You can use notes and textbook (free) for almost everything.”
GEOL102
“Every other day there is at least 5 to 8 assignments due, and gives about a million quizzes.”
GEOLOGY102

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exam evidence is mixed but generally manageable with notes, reading, homework, and , while .

Open Notes OnlineModule QuizzesFinalsDaily QuizzesLong ExamsExtra Credit

Assessment risk

Standard

70/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

In-person reviews , and , but do not clearly prove closed-book rules or proctoring policies.

Daily QuizzesLong ExamsHard ExamsExtra Credit
“3 point quizzes given each day were easy as long as you did the .”
ESCI110
“The exams are 100 questions but if you do the .”
ESC110
“ if students have studied”
GEO101

Online

Online reviews explicitly mention notes or , and multiple attempts, but do not clearly prove webcam, Lockdown Browser, or proctoring rules.

Open Notes OnlineModule QuizzesFinalsWeekly TestsMultiple Attempts
“You can use notes and textbook (free) for almost everything.”
GEOL102
“There are weekly tests and a .”
GEO101
“ and he usually gives you 3 attempts for each test.”
ESC110

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“Professor Lacy is who all college professors should want to be.”

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

🎯 Teaching Quality

90/100

“Professor Lacy is who all college professors should want to be.”

📚 Workload Reality

30/100

“Lots of homework (I took 9-week, online classes) but not really hard.”

👍 Recommendation Level

82/100

“ learn fairly important matters like earthquakes, especially in California, but he also shows interesting local geographical locations.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • Very knowledgeable and passionate about the subject.
  • My favorite professor so far.
  • and invested in your education and he's understanding.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

  • It isn't an easy class but if you stay up on the work it is very doable.
  • is also generous to make up for .
  • As long and you complete the assigned readings and pay attention in the lectures you will get an A.

Theme 3

🧪

  • Module quizzes and finals are 50-80% of your grade.
  • There are weekly tests and a .
  • The exams are 100 questions but if you do the .

Theme 4

🌄

  • Go on the field tripes, they are a lot of fun!
  • The field trips were fun(to me) and I enjoyed them a lot.
  • the in but u have to attend class otherwise u miss out on those loads of points

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

50

Recent reviews read by the AI

96

Lifetime ratings

94/100

Evidence confidence

Fifty reviews across online and strength, workload, exams, and grading.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 564
4 out of 512
3 out of 512
2 out of 54
1 out of 55

Course coverage

GEO10120 reviews
GEOL1017 reviews
ESC1104 reviews
ESCI1104 reviews
GEOL1024 reviews
Show 8 more courses
GEOG1013 reviews
GEOLOGY1022 reviews
1021 review
GEOL2011 review
GEOL2041 review
GEOLOGY1011 review
GEOLOGYWLAB1 review
GOL1011 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

41 reported outcomes

A range

26

A+ 10 · A 15 · A- 1

B range

12

B+ 8 · B 4

C range

2

C 2

D range

0

No reported values

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

1

Not sure yet 1