Dave Carico

ASTRONOMY · ASTR2 · 5 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 48/100
RMP rating: 3.8/5
Take again: 33.33%
Difficulty: 3.2

The decision

Prefer him in person if possible; online ASTR2 requires self-teaching and buying his imperfect textbook.

Best fit · Self Taught ProSelf-authored textbookMixed online qualityEngaging lectures in personHeavy readingConfusing online instructions

In-person astronomy lectures are praised as , and A-friendly with attendance.
Online sections draw strong complaints about , a costly error-filled required book, and .
Take-again rate is only about one-third, reflecting format-dependent experiences.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

FairEffort

58/100

As are common if , and attend in person, but online instructions and .

Online reviews split between easy A and ; in-person is more straightforward.

Is the course easy?

Standard

48/100

Astronomy content is survey-level but and can feel hard without strong teaching support.

In-person students say he simplifies material; online students feel more on their own.

Is attendance flexible?

Varies

42/100

Online reviews often say attendance is not required, while pass.

Online is flexible; .

Is this professor recommended?

Depends

38/100

and recent online reviews are negative, though older in-person and one online review are positive.

In-person reviews are warmer; recent online reviews drag recommendation down.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Fair

52/100

and fair; others say tough, slow, and .

Format shift

Online reviews more often call him a hard or .

Workload

Moderate

48/100

Weekly chapter reading and assignments are standard; volume is manageable but reading-heavy.

Format shift

Both formats emphasize reading and homework; online lacks lectures.

Teaching experience

Average

54/100

Strong passionate lectures in person contrast with online reports of and .

Format shift

experiences.

Assessment method

FocusOnAssignments

38/100

, and written assignments dominate online; and homework.

Format shift

Online is assignment-heavy; , and tests.

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

2 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

In-person lectures simplify hard material, stay engaging, and , and review.

Main concern

You must attend long weekly lectures and keep up with notes and .

What students said

“Despite the difficulty of the subject matter, Professor Carico is able to simplify to where students can understand without leaving important things out.”
ASTR2

“You must attend the class if you want to pass. and do the homework and you will leave with an A.”
ASTRONOMY

Remote format

Online

3 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

Online ASTR2 is uneven: some get an easy A by reading his book, others call him profit-focused with , confusing work, and .

Main concern

Mandatory ~$95 self-authored textbook with errors and little lecture support.

What students said

“he wrote the textbook and it's mandatory for the class as you will read 1 chapter each week/unit, BUT the textbook is 95$ and is riddled with spelling and technical mistakes”
ASTR2

“He does not give lectures in his online courses.”
ASTR2

“If you read the book and use all the sources he provides, it's an easy A.”
ASTR2

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Reviews describe standard tests and homework rather than open-book or lockdown-style proctoring details.

Homework reviewIn-person testsWeekly reading unitsAssignment submissions

Assessment risk

Standard

55/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

if , and take notes; he reviews material after tests.

In-person testsHomework reviewLecture-based notes

“ as long as you attend class and review the homework.”
ASTR2

“ and do the homework and you will leave with an A.”
ASTRONOMY

Online

Online reviews focus on weekly reading and document or quiz-style assignments; .

Weekly chapter unitsWritten assignmentsSelf-paced reading

“you will read 1 chapter each week/unit”
ASTR2

“Assign. need to be in a .”
ASTR2

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“A teacher who values profit over teaching is a bad teacher; he wrote the textbook and it's mandatory for the class”
Voice snapshots generated from 5 reviews (3 online, 2 in-person) spanning 2015-2025, highlighting format split and textbook issues. Credibility rating: Medium.

📚 Online Textbook Friction

30/100

“the textbook is 95$ and is riddled with spelling and technical mistakes, not only that but it barely helps you with the coursework.”

🎤 In-Person Lectures

85/100

“The lectures are fun and engaging and .”

🧭 Self-Teaching Online

40/100

“He does not give lectures in his online courses.”

👍 Conditional Easy A

58/100

“If you read the book and use all the sources he provides, it's an easy A.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

able to simplify to where students can understand
He does not give lectures in his online courses
passionate and interesting instructor

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

as long as you attend class and review the homework
it's an easy A

Theme 3

📖 About Materials

he wrote the textbook and it's mandatory
the textbook is 95$ and is riddled with spelling and technical mistakes
Get ready to read

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

Lifetime ratings

58/100

Evidence confidence

Five reviews from 2015-2025 cover both formats with mixed but detailed opinions; sample is small but .

Inside 5 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 52

4 out of 51

3 out of 51

2 out of 51

1 out of 50

Course coverage

ASTR24 reviews

ASTRONOMY1 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

4 reported outcomes

A range

A+ 1 · A 1 · A- 1

B range

B+ 1

C range

No reported values

D range

No reported values

F

No reported values

No letter grade reported

No reported values