AI Rate Professor

Geography

Don Foss

GEOLG · GEO202 · GEO101 · GEOL101 · GEOL120 · GEOLOGY · GEOL109 · GEO201 · GEOLOGY120 · GEOG101 · GEOG112 · GEOG101L · GEO105 · GEO120 · GEOL121 · GEO103 · GEO120120L · MANY000 · GEOL · 45 lifetime ratings

AI rating
58/100
RMP rating
3.7/5
Take again
50%
Difficulty
3.8

The decision

if you want a demanding science course from a passionate expert, not if you need an easy or .

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerPassionate expertVery challengingFast lecturesHeavy workloadInspirational mentor
  • Many students call him brilliant, passionate, and deeply inspiring, especially for serious geology learners.
  • The course is demanding, fast-paced, and work-heavy, with several complaints about organization and note-taking pressure.
  • He is a poor fit for students seeking an easy class, but a strong fit for students who want intense learning.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

38/100

An A likely requires serious effort because reviews emphasize heavy work, fast lectures, and high expectations rather than grade shortcuts.

The online review is positive but vague, while and demanding standards.

Is the course easy?

Challenging

28/100

The material is intellectually demanding because he moves fast, adds advanced context, and expects students to think deeply.

, while the one online review does not clarify course challenge.

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

18/100

because missed classes, notes, and lecture pace strongly affect success.

In-person comments mention being dropped after absences and needing lecture notes, with .

Is this professor recommended?

WorthIt

68/100

because he teaches deeply and passionately, but many students dislike the workload and pace.

The single online review is glowing, while but often strongly positive for motivated students.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Strict

32/100

Reviews mention tough grading, high expectations, collected notes, and demanding performance standards.

Format shift

Strict grading evidence .

Workload

Heavy

22/100

Students frequently describe lots of work, many pages of notes, fast lectures, and .

Format shift

, while online evidence is too limited to assess workload.

Teaching experience

Good

72/100

His teaching is passionate and memorable, but fast pacing, disorganization, and harsh experiences reduce consistency.

Format shift

Online evidence is very positive but thin, while and polarized.

Assessment method

Balanced

55/100

, and tests, suggesting a mix rather than a purely exam-based course.

Format shift

Assessment evidence is almost entirely in-person, with .

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 Hardcore Learner

In-person reviews describe a brilliant and passionate but fast, demanding, and .

Main concern

Students may struggle with fast lectures, heavy workload, and high expectations.

What students said

“A lot of work but you will learn a lot.”
GEOL120
“He is a very knowledgeable teacher but unorganized and does not give out study guides.”
GEO120
“Talks at a mile a minute. Expects too much work for the units.”
GEOLG

Remote format

Online

1 reviews

Low confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

The single online review is highly positive and calls him inspiring, but it gives little detail about workload or exams.

Main concern

There is too little online evidence to judge structure or .

What students said

“ . Inspired me to go on to obtain a degrees”
GEO101

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Reviews mention tests and practice quizzes but do not .

Exam Policy Not Clearly ProvenPractice Quizzes MentionedTests Mentioned

Assessment risk

Standard

45/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

and practice quizzes but do not clearly establish exam rules or .

Tests MentionedPractice Quizzes MentionedExam Policy Not Clearly Proven
“does not give out study guides and .”
GEO120
“ .”
GEO105

Online

Online reviews do not clearly prove .

Exam Policy Not Clearly Proven

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“A lot of work but you will learn a lot.”

Voice snapshots generated from 45 reviews, highlighting key themes in teaching and grading. Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

72/100

“Excellent teacher. He is going to retire soon. He teaches at University level.”

🔥 Learning Value

82/100

“I have learned more in Don Foss' classes than any other classes I have ever taken.”

⚠️ Workload & Pace

22/100

“Talks at a mile a minute. Expects too much work for the units.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • Passionate about the subject, cares about his students and moved me to go into geology.
  • He talks fast, digresses into the physics and chemistry behind processes.
  • He is a very knowledgeable teacher but unorganized.

Theme 2

📚 About Workload & Difficulty

  • A lot of work but you will learn a lot.
  • Most classes I would take 8 pages of notes, he collects and grades your notes.
  • He moves very fast.

Theme 3

❤️ About Learning Impact

  • . Inspired me to go on to obtain a degrees
  • Take his class if you wanna learn real science.
  • If your goal is learning, don't miss his class.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

45

Recent reviews read by the AI

45

Lifetime ratings

86/100

Evidence confidence

The dataset has 45 reviews over many years with detailed and consistent themes about passion, rigor, pace, and workload.

Inside 45 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 523
4 out of 59
3 out of 54
2 out of 54
1 out of 55

Course coverage

GEO1017 reviews
GEOL1207 reviews
GEOLOGY6 reviews
GEOG1014 reviews
GEO1203 reviews
Show 14 more courses
GEOL1093 reviews
GEO1032 reviews
GEO1052 reviews
GEO120120L1 review
GEO2011 review
GEO2021 review
GEOG101L1 review
GEOG1121 review
GEOL1 review
GEOL1011 review
GEOL1211 review
GEOLG1 review
GEOLOGY1201 review
MANY0001 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

2 reported outcomes

A range

1

A 1

B range

0

No reported values

C range

1

C 1

D range

0

No reported values

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

0

No reported values