Steven Newton

GEOL103 · GEOL120 · GEOLOGY101 · GEO120 · GEOL109 · GEO109 · 31 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 99/100
RMP rating: 4.8/5
Take again: 95.83%
Difficulty: 2.7

The decision

if you want a memorable, lecture-driven class where enthusiasm and note-taking are rewarded with fair grades.

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerOutstanding lecturesFunny storytellerPassionate and caringFair testsNote-heavy workload

Students overwhelmingly describe Steven Newton as one of the geology engaging.
Grades are usually very attainable if , and study lecture material.
Online reviews are also very positive, but one online student reported an extremely heavy workload.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

EasyA

84/100

A is very achievable for students who watch lectures, take good notes, and study, but it is not a free A because exams and .

Online and , while online has one strong workload complaint.

Is the course easy?

Beginner

74/100

and interesting, but students still need notes, lecture focus, and some studying.

Both formats praise clear explanations, with online comments more often mentioning lecture videos and weekly work.

Is attendance flexible?

MustTake

97/100

Students strongly recommend him because he makes geology engaging, memorable, funny, and fair.

Both online and online workload outlier.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Lenient

82/100

Tests are repeatedly described as fair and lecture-based, and many students report A grades with solid note-taking.

Format shift

Both formats show fair grading, while and lecture-based exams.

Workload

Moderate

60/100

Most students find the workload reasonable, but , and one heavy online complaint keep it from being light.

Format shift

Online workload evidence is more mixed, while but note-heavy.

Teaching experience

Excellent

96/100

Students repeatedly describe Newton as , and exceptionally memorable.

Format shift

Teaching praise is very strong in both online and in-person reviews.

Assessment method

Balanced

64/100

Grades appear to combine exams, quizzes, labs, projects, presentations, field trips, and lecture-based study.

Format shift

Online reviews mention quizzes, labs, projects, midterm, and final, 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

21 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

In-person reviews are extremely enthusiastic, emphasizing , and fair exams.

Main concern

, and study lecture material to do well.

What students said

“Steve is easily one of the best teachers at College of Marin.”
GEO120

“ , so and you will have no trouble.”
GEO109

Remote format

Online

10 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

Online students usually praise engaging , and strong learning, though one review reports a heavy workload.

Main concern

The online version can feel lecture-heavy and workload-heavy for some students.

What students said

“Lectures were easy to follow and he was readily available in .”
GEO120

“He has given the heaviest work load and .”
GEO120

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exams are mostly fair and lecture-based, with strict proctoring rules.

Lecture-Based ExamsFair TestsMultiple Choice QuizzesMidterm and FinalShort Answer and Essay

Assessment risk

Standard

72/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

, but do not clearly prove closed-book rules or strict proctoring.

Fair TestsLecture-Based ExamsMultiple Choice Section

“ .”
GEO120

“ , so and you will have no trouble.”
GEO109

Online

Online reviews mention quizzes, a midterm, a final, multiple choice, short answers, and an essay question, but .

Multiple Choice QuizzesMidterm and FinalShort Answer and EssayLecture-Based Tests

“ each section - required some thought but not extremely difficult.”
GEO120

“The , and .”
GEO120

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“Steve is easily one of the best teachers at College of Marin.”
Voice snapshots generated from 31 reviews, highlighting key themes in , and format differences. Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

96/100

“Steve is easily one of the best teachers at College of Marin.”

👍 Recommendation Rate

97/100

“ .”

⚖️

72/100

“ .”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

Awesome professor. Steven is a passionate professor, gives great lectures, and always finds a way to weave in humor.
He made the natural world come alive for me.
He brings life to what could be a dull subject.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty and Grades

Focus on the , and you will earn an A.
, so and you will have no trouble.
I found the . Especially the multiple choice section.

Theme 3

🧭 About Format and Workload

and opened up resources that I found useful.
He has given the heaviest work load and .
and were reasonably easy.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

Lifetime ratings

94/100

Evidence confidence

Thirty-one reviews across many years and both formats are detailed and highly consistent, with only a few notable concerns.

Inside 31 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 527

4 out of 52

3 out of 51

2 out of 51

1 out of 50

Course coverage

GEO12018 reviews

GEOL1034 reviews

GEO1092 reviews

GEOL1092 reviews

GEOL1202 reviews

Show 2 more courses

GEOLOGY1012 reviews

105671 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

24 reported outcomes

A range

A+ 2 · A 18 · A- 2

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

Steven Newton

x x if you want a memorable, lecture-driven class where enthusiasm and note-taking are rewarded with fair grades.

Four answers before you build your schedule.

EasyA

Beginner

Recommended

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

⚖️ x x

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

📈 About Difficulty and Grades

🧭 About Format and Workload

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 a memorable, lecture-driven class where enthusiasm and note-taking are rewarded with fair grades.

⚖️