Spring 2027

Introduction to the Earth System

Introduction to how the Earth system works and what makes Earth livable; covers interactions among atmosphere, oceans, life, and Earth's surface shaping local, regional, and global landscapes.

offering recorded3 credits
Recorded instructors · Spring 2027 Jack Williams3.9/5Erika Marin-Spiotta3.7/5

Summary

1 / 5

Past student reviews · Jack Williams

There are four non-cumulative exams, with no final exam during exam week. Exams are primarily based on lecture slides rather than the textbook, which the reviewer did not read.

Grade history

↗
average GPA
letter grades
A
AB
B
BC
C
D
F

All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

Not open to students with credit forENVIR ST/​GEOG 127

    • credit forENVIR ST/GEOG 127
    not eligible with
ENVIRST/GEOG 120 used by

“Used by” includes alternatives; linked courses may have other requirements. This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.

Prerequisite text tree
  • Not eligible with
    • credit forENVIR ST/GEOG 127

Professors

Spring 2027
Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 3.95/5 from 59 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

For this course: 4.2/5 raw quality · 2.5/5 difficulty · 24 reviews

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

Past student reviews · Jack Williams

Jack Williams taught the first half of the semester, and one student said two of the class's four exams covered his material. Students reported exams were mainly lecture-based, though one said they were 90% lecture/10% textbook and another said test material was basically all covered in lecture. One said he talked fast, and another said it was easy to lose attention.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2023: 3.12 GPA, 46.4% A/AB (n=140 letter grades); Spring 2024: 3.28 GPA, 47.7% A/AB (n=88 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.31 GPA, 56.6% A/AB (n=106 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 3.72/5 from 29 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

For this course: 4.3/5 raw quality · 2.3/5 difficulty · 8 reviews

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

Past student reviews · Erika Marin-Spiotta

Erika Marin-Spiotta lectured at a faster pace than her co-instructor, a change one student noted mid-semester. Reviewers highlighted her strong enthusiasm for geomorphology and land surfaces, which made the lectures engaging despite the quick delivery.

Exams were described as lecture-heavy but manageable, with one student finding tests really easy and another noting they were manageable. The homework and lectures were considered interesting, and students reported learning a lot from the material.

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

Past student reviews · Ken Keefover-Ring

Ken Keefover-Ring taught this course with a fun, accessible style, using jokes and detailed examples to keep lectures engaging. Students found the material easy to understand and the workload manageable, noting that studying slides and completing discussion assignments was sufficient. Exams were described as straightforward and directly reflected lecture content. He was also noted for being helpful and approachable during office hours.

JACK WILLIAMS is recorded teaching in Fall 2006, Spring 2007, Spring 2008, Fall 2008, Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

JAMES KNOX is recorded teaching in Fall 2007, Spring 2008, Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Spring 2011. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

JOSEPH ADLAND MASON is recorded teaching in Spring 2007. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

KEN KEEFOVER-RING is recorded teaching in Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Fall 2024. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

SAMANTHA GREENE is recorded teaching in Spring 2012. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Calendar & sections

Spring 2027

Schedule loads here as you scroll.

SectionModeEnrolled / capacityWaitlist
LEC 001Classroom Instruction0 / 880
DIS 301Classroom Instruction0 / 220
DIS 302Classroom Instruction0 / 220
DIS 303Classroom Instruction0 / 220
DIS 305Classroom Instruction0 / 220
DIS 308Classroom Instruction0 / 220
DIS 304Classroom Instruction0 / 220
DIS 307Classroom Instruction0 / 220
DIS 306Classroom Instruction0 / 220
LEC 001Classroom Instruction0 / 880
DIS 301Classroom Instruction0 / 220
DIS 302Classroom Instruction0 / 220
DIS 303Classroom Instruction0 / 220
DIS 305Classroom Instruction0 / 220
DIS 308Classroom Instruction0 / 220
DIS 304Classroom Instruction0 / 220
DIS 306Classroom Instruction0 / 220
DIS 307Classroom Instruction0 / 220

Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections. Enrollment reflects scan time.

Meeting source records
Download part 1

Student experience

the class

Past student reviews · Jack Williams, Erika Marin-Spiotta

The course splits into two halves, with Jack Williams teaching the first and Erika Marin-Spiotta the second. Students found the material generally interesting and manageable for a science requirement.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.03 GPA, 30.9% A/AB (n=81 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.31 GPA, 56.6% A/AB (n=106 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.41 GPA, 67.1% A/AB (n=76 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

Past student reviews · Jack Williams

There are four non-cumulative exams, with no final exam during exam week. Exams are primarily based on lecture slides rather than the textbook, which the reviewer did not read.

Past student reviews · Erika Marin-Spiotta

Erika Marin-Spiotta lectures at a faster pace than Williams, which some students noticed as a mid-semester change. She was described as well-spoken and enthusiastic about geomorphology, making her section engaging.

Topics

  • How the Earth system works and what makes Earth livable
  • Interactions of atmosphere, oceans, life, and Earth's surface in shaping local, regional, and global landscapes

Skills

  • Appreciate how the atmosphere, oceans, life, and Earth's surface interact to shape local, regional, and global landscapes.

Grades

Historical instructor

Spring 2027 · Projected

Before grades are released

– average GPA

Approximate 80% prediction interval

About this estimate

The course’s semester-average GPA, not an individual student’s grade. The center uses 5 same-season terms, weighted toward recent results.

The range uses the finite-sample 80th-percentile rank of absolute errors from earlier same-season forecasts. Each forecast uses only records from earlier terms. At least four forecasts are required; bounds are rounded outward and limited to 0–4. This is an empirical estimate: changing instructors or grading policies can reduce its coverage.

8 earlier forecasts · 0.15 GPA average error.

Grades over time

Through Spring 2027

More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data

Where this course fits relative to

Latest available grades · Spring 2026 · all course levels

GPA

Higher than % of other courses in this group.

Course GPAs · red marks this course’s range

letter grades

More recorded grades than % of other courses in this group.

Typical course in this group: letter grades.

About this comparison

1280 courses over the same term, each with at least 30 recorded letter grades. Cross-listed courses count once. GPA is not a measure of difficulty or teaching quality. The typical course is the median by recorded grade count; tied values are not counted as lower. Grade counts describe course scale, not unique students or typical section size.

Descriptions compare GPA with this group’s average: at least 0.20 higher or lower; otherwise close to average. Section size uses median recorded enrollment: small up to 30, mid-sized 31–99, large 100+. Lectures and discussion/lab sections are described separately.

Sources & history

UW–Madison

Catalog & offerings

Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.

Catalog observation history

Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.

Download part 1
Selected offering source records
ENVIRST/GEOG 120 · Spring 2027

Introduction to the Earth System

Recorded 2026-10-14
ENVIRST/GEOG 120 · Spring 2027

Introduction to the Earth System

Recorded 2026-10-14
Raw records 
[
  {
    "run_id": "20261014T203208-0851c9a1",
    "semester": "1274",
    "observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1274:360:008194",
    "course_id": "ENVIRST/GEOG 120",
    "course_uid": "course_b850d5b4746311f8d8c00fa2",
    "term_id": "1274",
    "source_course_id": "008194",
    "source_subject_id": "360",
    "title": "Introduction to the Earth System",
    "credits_min": 3,
    "credits_max": 3,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring"
  },
  {
    "run_id": "20261014T203208-0851c9a1",
    "semester": "1274",
    "observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1274:416:008194",
    "course_id": "ENVIRST/GEOG 120",
    "course_uid": "course_b850d5b4746311f8d8c00fa2",
    "term_id": "1274",
    "source_course_id": "008194",
    "source_subject_id": "416",
    "title": "Introduction to the Earth System",
    "credits_min": 3,
    "credits_max": 3,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring"
  }
]
Rate My Professors

Student reviews

Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.

Read original reviews
Download part 1
Madgrades

Grade history

Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.

Explore recorded grades
Dataset & model

Recorded 2026-10-14

View the dataset on Hugging Face
Model outputs & technical records
Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B
LLM outputs across runs
Download part 1
Full model traces

Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.

Download part 1Download part 2Download part 3Download part 4
Model & dataset provenance 
{
  "model": "Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B",
  "model_revision": "1d4bf0f2ff6012fd82039f2fa52739d0dd7c60c0",
  "task_version": "17",
  "output_id": "9e61c796d8c07d4a17f1e9b0ac34f7a4a0ee8b4132f763f98a14fcab9627ada1",
  "requirements_status": "needs_review",
  "dataset_revision": "fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf",
  "observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00"
}