Fall 2026

Introduction to the Earth System

Introduction to how the Earth system works and what makes Earth livable.

offering recorded3 credits
Recorded instructors · Fall 2026 Jack Williams3.9/5Erika Marin-Spiotta3.7/5Eric Giese +2 more

Summary

1 / 7

Workload centers on four non-cumulative exams. Some find exams tough due to content volume, while others report easy tests if attending lectures. Textbook reading is often considered optional.

Grade history

↗
average GPA
letter grades
A
AB
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BC
C
D
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All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

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

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

Professors

Fall 2026
/5Adjusted rating
/5RMP 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.

Jack Williams makes weather and climate material simple and easy to understand. Reviewers praise his passion, willingness to help, and clear explanations. Exams are primarily based on lectures rather than the textbook, allowing students to succeed with good attendance.

Some students find his lectures fast-paced and boring, making content difficult to follow. One reviewer noted the heavy content makes it easy to lose attention, engaging more with TAs. Another found the exams tough despite the general reputation for ease.

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.

/5Adjusted rating
/5RMP 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.

Erika Marin-Spiotta is well-spoken and enthusiastic about Geomorphology, making her lectures interesting and clear. Reviewers note she teaches the second half of the course and is generally effective at explaining concepts.

Students report her lecture pace is fast and her delivery can be dry, though she is also praised for making the subject interesting. Exams are described as lecture-based, but reviewers disagree on difficulty, with some finding them easy and others noting they are not easy As.

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

Historical reviews of Joseph Mason: Joseph Mason used PowerPoint presentations, with tests described as straightforward if students took good notes. Reviewers found his class easy with low workload, though one noted it was more boring than Professor Williams' portion.

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

Fall 2026

Schedule loads here as you scroll.

SectionModeEnrolled / capacityWaitlist
LEC 001Classroom Instruction39 / 1760
DIS 301Classroom Instruction9 / 220
DIS 302Classroom Instruction6 / 220
DIS 304Classroom Instruction0 / 00
DIS 307Classroom Instruction7 / 220
DIS 309Classroom Instruction6 / 220
DIS 310Classroom Instruction5 / 220
DIS 311Classroom Instruction3 / 220
DIS 303Classroom Instruction1 / 220
DIS 308Classroom Instruction2 / 220
LEC 001Classroom Instruction35 / 1760
DIS 301Classroom Instruction13 / 220
DIS 304Classroom Instruction0 / 00
DIS 307Classroom Instruction4 / 220
DIS 309Classroom Instruction5 / 220
DIS 310Classroom Instruction0 / 220
DIS 311Classroom Instruction4 / 220
DIS 302Classroom Instruction4 / 220
DIS 303Classroom Instruction1 / 220
DIS 308Classroom Instruction4 / 220

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

Meeting source records
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Student experience

the class

Reviewers describe the course as a straightforward science requirement with exams drawn primarily from lectures. Cited students find the material accessible when attending class and reviewing slides.

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

Workload centers on four non-cumulative exams. Some find exams tough due to content volume, while others report easy tests if attending lectures. Textbook reading is often considered optional.

Lectures are described as informative but occasionally dry or fast-paced. Some students find the material interesting, while others note it is easy to lose attention due to the content volume.

Topics

  • Interactions of atmosphere, oceans, life, and earth's surface
  • Local, regional and global landscapes

Grades

Historical instructor

Fall 2026 · 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 · 0.12 GPA average error.

Grades over time

Through Fall 2026

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

1283 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.

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Selected offering source records
ENVIRST/GEOG 120 · Fall 2026

Introduction to the Earth System

Recorded 2026-09-07
ENVIRST/GEOG 120 · Fall 2026

Introduction to the Earth System

Recorded 2026-09-07
Raw records
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    "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
    "semester": "1272",
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1272:360:008194",
    "course_id": "ENVIRST/GEOG 120",
    "course_uid": "course_b850d5b4746311f8d8c00fa2",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "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": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
    "semester": "1272",
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1272:416:008194",
    "course_id": "ENVIRST/GEOG 120",
    "course_uid": "course_b850d5b4746311f8d8c00fa2",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "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 2026-09-07

Download the original dataset
Model outputs & technical records
nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4
LLM outputs across runs
Download part 1
Full model traces

Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.

Download part 1Download part 2
Model & dataset provenance
{
  "model": "nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4",
  "model_revision": "1355db6a052410cfd62085d94b58866fd0f2c3c5",
  "task_version": "14",
  "output_id": "a3b6625f11129cc0f1201da440ffa9deae781b9055a4c45a5b3a1c0a1de42441",
  "requirements_status": "valid",
  "dataset_revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
  "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00"
}