AI Rate Professor

Physics

Douglas Brownell

PHYS253 · PHYSICS151 · PHYSICS152 · PHYS151 · PHYS152 · 23 lifetime ratings

AI rating
38/100
RMP rating
2.5/5
Take again
60%
Difficulty
3.9

The decision

Only take him if ; many students say .

Best fit · Self Taught ProLecture tangentsHard testsUnorganizedHilarious or confusingSelf-study required
  • and funny, many say he does not teach
  • lectures
  • Homework and main path to surviving

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

35/100

A few students earn As with homework and help, but , and the .

Online notes late grading and ; in and uneven grading.

Is the course easy?

Challenging

28/100

Average difficulty near 4 with frequent comments that material and .

Both formats rate content as hard; online was slightly milder difficulty.

Is attendance flexible?

Varies

55/100

and others optional; several say come to class for useful tips.

Mixed mandatory flags in person; the .

Is this professor recommended?

Depends

42/100

About 60% , but comments are sharply split between hidden-gem and avoid-at-all-costs.

Online mixed; while a vocal minority loves him.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Strict

35/100

Some report steep curves and ; many call tests unfair and .

Format shift

Online has ; in .

Workload

Heavy

35/100

, and hard multi-question exams pile on effort.

Format shift

Online ; in person stresses frequent homework and .

Teaching experience

Poor

32/100

Quality averages about 2.5 with many 1s for not teaching and tangents, offset by a caring funny minority.

Format shift

Online called him a great guy but disorganized; in person is highly polarized.

Assessment method

Balanced

55/100

Homework and labs matter, but and .

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

22 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

older ; some praise humor, care, and steep curves.

Main concern

Lectures often wander off-topic and .

What students said

“Nice guy, terrible teacher. teach and you will have to learn on your own.”
PHYS151
“Calling him a teacher is an insult to teachers. No organization... !”
PHYS152
“Amazing teacher. Goes off on tangents... .”
PHYS152

Remote format

Online

1 reviews

Low confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

Online PHYS253 felt disorganized with , and weekly .

Main concern

Grades may not post until the class ends.

What students said

“Nothing got graded until the class was over, and most students were concerned that he wouldn't input grades in time.”
PHYS253

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exams are widely described as very hard and often poorly aligned with lectures; .

Hard testsMisaligned with lecturesSteep curve sometimes4-question exams

Assessment risk

Strict

30/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

, or over uncovered material.

Hard testsMaterial not coveredSteep curveGroup final occasionally
“ , and he looks for a 65% avg on his tests, he said.”
PHYS152
“The but he grades on a .”
PHYS151

Online

Online review focuses on late grading and .

Late gradingExtra credit homework
“Nothing got graded until the class was over... Good part is there is !”
PHYS253

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“Nice guy, terrible teacher. teach and you will have to learn on your own.”

Voice snapshots generated from 23 reviews, highlighting , and . Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

32/100

“Nice guy, terrible teacher. teach and you will have to learn on your own.”

📚

28/100

“Dont expect to learn from him, learn from book or .”

😂 Personality Split

50/100

“He is a professor who genuinely cares about his students and subject matter.”

📝

30/100

“ , but he is willing to help as often as you need it”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • goes off on irrelevant tangents all the time
  • He LOVES physics and he's good at teaching it
  • lectures from his head- entertains himself doing hours of pointless proofs

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

  • so himself that he designed them so we can fail them
  • if you stay on top of the homework... and attend office hours, you will survive
  • lowest grade was 69%, avg. 86%

Theme 3

⚠️ About Organization

  • No organization whatsoever
  • Nothing got graded until the class was over
  • and never shares

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

23

Recent reviews read by the AI

23

Lifetime ratings

78/100

Evidence confidence

23 reviews spanning 2010-2024 with rich detail and consistent polarization give solid confidence despite older bulk of negatives.

Inside 23 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 57
4 out of 52
3 out of 50
2 out of 52
1 out of 512

Course coverage

PHYS15111 reviews
PHYS1526 reviews
PHYSICS1523 reviews
PHYS2532 reviews
PHYSICS1511 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

5 reported outcomes

A range

3

A 3

B range

1

B 1

C range

0

No reported values

D range

0

No reported values

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

1

Drop/Withdrawal 1