AI Rate Professor

Biology

John Thomford

BIO220 · BIO190 · PHYS220 · BIOL220 · 93 lifetime ratings

AI rating
58/100
RMP rating
3.9/5
Take again
55.26%
Difficulty
3.9

The decision

if you will treat physio like a full-time job; skip if you need an easy A or .

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerLecture HeavyTough ExamsExtra Credit LifelineCaring but PolarizingStudy Lecture Objectives
  • Physiology is conceptually hard and exam-driven; success hinges on mastering lecture objectives, not the study guide alone.
  • and fair with , while others find lectures condescending, rushed, and tests brutal.
  • A is achievable with weeks of prep, rewatching lectures, and office hours, but light effort usually fails.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

38/100

An A is realistic if you master lecture objectives, rewatch lectures, and use , but light studying routinely produces Cs, Ds, or drops.

Online comments stress harsher self-teaching cost; most .

Is the course easy?

Challenging

28/100

Physiology content is dense, clinical, and fast-paced, so intellectual load .

Both formats call the material hard; online students more often say they must teach themselves.

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

32/100

as mandatory or warn that skipping class means you will not pass.

and you will not pass; some online notes list attendance as not mandatory.

Is this professor recommended?

Depends

55/100

because they learn a lot with support, while the if another physio option exists.

In-person fans are louder; .

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Fair

45/100

and grade discussions help motivated students, but tough-grader and .

Format shift

Online ; in-person reviews more often call him fair with .

Workload

Heavy

28/100

Weekly homework, dense lectures, reading, and .

Format shift

Both formats report lots of homework; online students also mention break-week assignments.

Teaching experience

Good

68/100

Strong content knowledge and hard-to-follow lectures for others.

Format shift

In-person praise is warmer; online students more often describe monotone lectures and self-teaching.

Assessment method

FocusOnExams

72/100

and lecture objectives mainly serving as .

Format shift

.

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

, and care, while critics cite fast lectures, tough tests, and a condescending tone.

Main concern

Exams and lecture pace can feel PhD-level; skipping class or only skimming the book is risky.

What students said

“Actually do the lecture objectives for every lecture and understand them, you will get an A.”
BIO220
“He is by far the college career.”
BIO220
“There are many opportunities for which is amazing and he's a .”
BIO220

Remote format

Online

6 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

Online sections felt heavy on self-teaching, monotone or dense lectures, and ; several students said to pick another professor if possible.

Main concern

Heavy lectures, little scaffolding, and .

What students said

“ IF YOU CAN.”
BIO220
“you're going to be filling in a lot of blanks and it's a lot of self teaching.”
BIO220
“If .”
BIO220

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

and objectives but are often long, detailed, and well above memorization.

Lecture-based examsMultiple choice and short answerClinical application questionsLecture objectives as study core

Assessment risk

Standard

42/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

, and reward deep understanding of lectures and objectives.

Tough examsBased on lecture objectivesClinical questions
“ and exams are extremely difficult despite how hard you study for them.”
BIO220
“ even discuss in class”
BIO220

Online

and warn that lecture objectives alone are not enough.

Hard testsDo not rely only on lecture objectives
“do not and I mean DO NOT solely rely on his lecture objectives. You will .”
BIO220

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“Actually do the lecture objectives for every lecture and understand them, you will get an A.”

Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews spanning 2014-2025, balancing online and , and care. Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

68/100

“He is the .”

📚 Course Difficulty

28/100

“REALLY tough class though, probably the hardest I have ever taken.”

⚖️

45/100

“There are many opportunities for which is amazing and he's a .”

👍 Recommendation Split

55/100

“If .”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • His lectures are , and if you can't keep up, you're screwed.
  • Loved this class all thanks to Dr. Thomford.
  • Lectures are informative and will go into more detail if you're curious or confused.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty and Grades

  • The so that should say something..
  • if you do during the !
  • You NEED to read the book and do the learning objectives.

Theme 3

❤️ About Character

  • He is a .
  • If you ask for help, expect sarcasm instead of answers.
  • .

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

50

Recent reviews read by the AI

93

Lifetime ratings

88/100

Evidence confidence

Fifty detailed reviews across many years show consistent themes of , and a love-or-hate teaching split.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 549
4 out of 514
3 out of 516
2 out of 59
1 out of 55

Course coverage

BIO22041 reviews
BIO1903 reviews
2202 reviews
PHYS2202 reviews
1901 review
Show 1 more courses
BIOL2201 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

38 reported outcomes

A range

22

A+ 3 · A 17 · A- 2

B range

6

B+ 1 · B 5

C range

5

C 4 · C- 1

D range

1

D 1

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

4

Drop/Withdrawal 2 · Not sure yet 1 · Rather not say 1