AI Rate Professor

Physics

Matthew Fairbanks

PHYS108 · PHYS108A · PHYS100 · 3 lifetime ratings

AI rating
26/100
RMP rating
2.5/5
Take again
—
Difficulty
4.7

The decision

if you are ready to teach yourself difficult physics and ask many questions.

Best fit · Self Taught ProSelf-Teaching RequiredVery DifficultUnclear ExamsKind but IneffectiveHeavy Homework
  • Reviews are sharply mixed, but two of three describe poor teaching and self-teaching.
  • Physics is consistently described as difficult and demanding.
  • A strong student can earn an A, but only with , and questions.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

28/100

An A is possible, but the only positive review says it required never missing , and asking many questions.

All evidence comes from in-person physics reviews, with .

Is the course easy?

BrainBurner

15/100

Students describe physics as demanding, extremely difficult, and .

All course .

Is attendance flexible?

Recommended

45/100

as mandatory, but the A-earning student says never missing lecture was part of succeeding.

, and there are no online reviews.

Is this professor recommended?

Avoid

32/100

Most comments warn that and students , and exams themselves.

All .

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Strict

25/100

, and exams are described as .

Format shift

.

Workload

Heavy

22/100

, and repeated questions outside and inside class.

Format shift

All .

Teaching experience

Poor

35/100

One student found him nice and knowledgeable, but two reviews call the , and self-taught.

Format shift

All .

Assessment method

Balanced

58/100

Reviews mention homework, labs, and and .

Format shift

, and exams but not exact weights.

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

3 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

with mixed views on his support and clarity.

Main concern

Students may need to teach themselves because lectures, labs, and .

What students said

“Physics is one of those courses that requires a lot studying and commitment in and out of class.”
PHYS108A
“you literally have to teach yourself everything”
PHYS100
“This class is very much "teach yourself."”
PHYS108

Remote format

Online

0 reviews

Low confidence

No stored summary is available for this format.

Main concern

No main concern is stored for this format.

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Reviews do not prove proctoring or book policy, but as and difficult.

Unclear Exams

Assessment risk

Strict

30/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

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

Unclear Exams
“his labs and ”
PHYS100

Online

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“This class is very much "teach yourself."”

Voice snapshots generated from 3 reviews, highlighting key themes in , and . Credibility rating: Medium.

🎯 Teaching Quality

35/100

“Fairbanks is a terrible teacher.”

📈 Difficulty and Effort

28/100

“Physics is one of those courses that requires a lot studying and commitment in and out of class.”

⚖️ Assessment Clarity

30/100

“his labs and ”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • Fairbanks is a terrible teacher.
  • His lectures are monotone and boring.
  • He was a really nice and knowledgeable teacher.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty and Grades

  • I got an A in his class because I never missed a lecture, paid attention, and asked more questions.
  • His class is extremely difficult only because you literally have to teach yourself everything.
  • This class is very much "teach yourself."

Theme 3

📝 and Exams

  • He insists on using WebAssign for homework
  • if you're stuck you never get partial credit for work shown
  • his labs and

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

3

Recent reviews read by the AI

3

Lifetime ratings

56/100

Evidence confidence

Only , but they give detailed and consistent evidence of high difficulty and .

Inside 3 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 51
4 out of 50
3 out of 50
2 out of 51
1 out of 51

Course coverage

PHYS1001 review
PHYS1081 review
PHYS108A1 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

0 reported outcomes

A range

0

No reported values

B range

0

No reported values

C range

0

No reported values

D range

0

No reported values

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

0

No reported values