AI Rate Professor

Art

John Donahue

ART104 · ANIM101A · ANIM104 · 11 lifetime ratings

AI rating
93/100
RMP rating
4.9/5
Take again
83.33%
Difficulty
2.6

The decision

if you want a passionate mentor who will push your fundamentals and help at the easel.

Best fit · Beginner FriendlyInspirational artist mentorHands-on studio feedbackPassionate industry insightBeginner-friendly demosCaring and motivational
  • Students call him one of the and one-on-one help during gestures.
  • ; online was seen as a poor fit for the course.
  • Effort and following directions matter for grades; workload includes long studio sessions and large sketchbook requirements.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

FairEffort

58/100

Strong grades are realistic if you follow directions and put in studio effort, but and advanced peers can block an easy free A.

Evidence is almost entirely in person; the single online review did not report a grade path.

Is the course easy?

Beginner

68/100

Fundamentals are broken down clearly for newcomers, though intermediate peers can make absolute beginners feel behind.

In-person reviews emphasize demos and simplicity; online noted higher perceived difficulty without live critique.

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

28/100

, and tags warn that skipping harms your chance to pass.

and in the online ANIM101A review.

Is this professor recommended?

MustTake

90/100

Nearly every detailed review calls him a top or underrated professor students would take again, especially in person.

Recommendation strength is highest for in-person studio; but format-limited.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Fair

55/100

Some say he grades on effort and ; others note tough grading or criteria that favor stronger artists.

Format shift

.

Workload

Moderate

48/100

Studio days can run long and one course requires a .

Format shift

Online review tagged lots of homework; in person stresses long drawing sessions and sketchbook volume.

Teaching experience

Excellent

94/100

Students repeatedly praise demos, one-on-one help, passion, industry insight, and transformative fundamentals teaching.

Format shift

In-person praise is near-universal; online still called him cool while blaming the format.

Assessment method

FocusOnAssignments

25/100

Assessment centers on drawings, gestures, demos, participation, and sketchbook work rather than formal exams.

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

10 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Beginner Friendly

In person, students praise demos, circling the room for help, industry insight, and strong motivation for artists at all levels.

Main concern

Absolute beginners may find grading reflects a more advanced cohort, and .

What students said

“Great personality and amazing artist, one of .”
ANIM101A
“ if you can. Pick his brain a little too.”
ANIM104
“He breaks it down, makes it simple and easy to understand, and encourages everyone, while still challenging them to do better.”
ANIM104

Remote format

Online

1 reviews

Low confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

One online ANIM101A review says the format poorly fits animation fundamentals despite a cool, hardworking professor.

Main concern

, so skill growth feels limited.

What students said

“To be fair this is not a class that should be given online, at all. In this and supervision of your work in order to better yourself as an artist.”
ANIM101A

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Reviews describe assignment and portfolio work with critiques more than traditional proctored exams.

Studio assignmentsSketchbook portfolioIn-class critique

Assessment risk

Varies

55/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

In-person work is project and sketchbook driven with ongoing critique; .

Sketchbook requirementLive critiqueParticipation
“At the end of semester, you have to turn in a sketchbook with 200 sketches in them... So don't procrastinate!!”
ANIM104
“He critiques your work as you go so .”
ANIM104

Online

Online comments focus on homework volume and need for .

Lots of homework
“I understand that the professor did what he could, he was cool, the circumstances were what sucked.”
ANIM101A

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“I had him Fall of 2021 and is by far the . He cares about his students and gives good feedback. if you can.”

Voice snapshots generated from 11 reviews (1 online, 10 in person), highlighting studio mentoring and . Credibility rating: Medium.

🎯 Teaching Quality

94/100

“John is absolutely amazing. I've taken a lot of basic classes, but he still managed to show me new approaches towards the fundamentals.”

👍 Recommendation

90/100

“If taking Anim104, TAKE DONAHUE!”

✏️ Hands-on Mentoring

92/100

“Hes always there to help you when the drawing isnt turning out good and ready to give advice from basic to advanced.”

📦 Workload Reality

48/100

“At the end of semester, you have to turn in a sketchbook with 200 sketches in them... So don't procrastinate!!”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • He breaks it down, makes it simple and easy to understand
  • actually takes the time to demo what he wants for each assignment
  • circles around the class and helps you solve problems you face in your gestures

Theme 2

❤️ About Character

  • Great personality and amazing artist
  • His faith in his students is really admirable
  • He cares about his students so much, and you can tell he really loves teaching

Theme 3

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

  • grades on effort instead of perfection
  • If you don't follow his directions, you will not get a pleasant grade
  • making it difficult to get a good grade when you're an absolute beginner

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

11

Recent reviews read by the AI

11

Lifetime ratings

72/100

Evidence confidence

Eleven reviews spanning 2010-2026 are highly consistent on teaching quality, though sample size is modest and only one is online.

Inside 11 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 510
4 out of 51
3 out of 50
2 out of 50
1 out of 50

Course coverage

ANIM1047 reviews
ANIM101A3 reviews
ART1041 review

Reported outcomes

B range results lead the reported letter grades.

6 reported outcomes

A range

2

A 2

B range

3

B+ 1 · B 2

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