Grades depend on weekly quizzes and labs rather than exams. Quizzes can be tricky, and labs are the most taxing component, requiring careful note-taking and preparation from lecture materials.
“Used by” includes alternatives; linked courses may have other requirements. This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.
Raw average: 3.33/5 from 9 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: 3.9/5 raw quality · 2.0/5 difficulty · 7
reviews
RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.
Chloe Bonamici delivers organized, engaging lectures that students find easy to follow. Reviewers highlight her passion and clear structure, which aligns with the textbook.
Some students criticize the course content and grading practices under her instruction. One reviewer found the lectures boring and the material poor, while another noted an unexpected grade curve that lowered their final mark.
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2022: 3.56 GPA, 79.2% A/AB (n=361 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.46 GPA, 73.4% A/AB (n=488 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.77 GPA, 89.4% A/AB (n=359 letter grades).
Historical reviews of Andrea Dutton: Andrea Dutton is described as a great professor who covers quiz material in lectures, minimizing confusion. However, one review notes her lectures can be hard to follow, attributing some class flaws to another instructor.
ALAN ROBERT CARROLL is recorded teaching in Fall 2006, Fall 2007, Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
ANDREA DUTTON is recorded teaching in Fall 2021, Spring 2024. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
BENJAMIN LINZMEIER is recorded teaching in Fall 2020. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
CHLOE BONAMICI is recorded teaching in Fall 2019, Fall 2022, Fall 2024, Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
HAROLD TOBIN is recorded teaching in Spring 2016, Spring 2017. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
JOHN W VALLEY is recorded teaching in Fall 2006, Fall 2007, Fall 2008, Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Fall 2012, Fall 2013, Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Fall 2018. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
KURT FEIGL is recorded teaching in Fall 2008, Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Fall 2013, Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Fall 2018. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
STEPHEN MEYERS is recorded teaching in Spring 2010, Spring 2011, Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2025, Spring 2026. 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.
Section
Mode
Enrolled / capacity
Waitlist
LEC 001
Classroom Instruction
200 / 200
0
DIS 301
Classroom Instruction
20 / 20
0
DIS 305
Classroom Instruction
20 / 20
0
DIS 310
Classroom Instruction
20 / 20
0
DIS 306
Classroom Instruction
20 / 20
0
DIS 307
Classroom Instruction
20 / 20
0
DIS 308
Classroom Instruction
20 / 20
0
DIS 302
Classroom Instruction
20 / 20
0
DIS 303
Classroom Instruction
20 / 20
0
DIS 304
Classroom Instruction
20 / 20
0
DIS 309
Classroom Instruction
20 / 20
0
LEC 003
Classroom Instruction
200 / 200
0
DIS 331
Classroom Instruction
20 / 20
0
DIS 332
Classroom Instruction
20 / 20
0
DIS 333
Classroom Instruction
20 / 20
0
DIS 334
Classroom Instruction
20 / 20
0
DIS 335
Classroom Instruction
20 / 20
0
DIS 336
Classroom Instruction
20 / 20
0
DIS 337
Classroom Instruction
20 / 20
0
DIS 338
Classroom Instruction
20 / 20
0
DIS 339
Classroom Instruction
20 / 20
0
DIS 340
Classroom Instruction
20 / 20
0
Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections. Enrollment reflects scan time.
Chloe Bonamici teaches an easy, engaging geology course with no exams, relying on weekly quizzes and labs. Reviewers describe her lectures as well-organized, passionate, and entertaining.
Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.81 GPA, 91.2% A/AB (n=442 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.77 GPA, 89.4% A/AB (n=359 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.76 GPA, 88.0% A/AB (n=425 letter grades).
difficulty & workload
Grades depend on weekly quizzes and labs rather than exams. Quizzes can be tricky, and labs are the most taxing component, requiring careful note-taking and preparation from lecture materials.
Students should maximize their scores early, as one reviewer reported a grade curve that lowered their final grade despite high performance, suggesting caution regarding final grading adjustments.
Topics
Geologic phenomena including earthquakes, volcanoes, glaciers, and fossils
Climate change across geologic and human time scales
Skills
Interpreting topographic and geologic maps
Grades
Historical instructor
Fall 2026 · Projected
Before grades are released
2.982.98–4.004.00average GPA
Approximate 80% prediction interval
0.04.0
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 · 0.22 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
3.763.76GPA
Higher than 5858% of other courses
in this group.
Course GPAs · red marks this course’s range
425425letter grades
More recorded grades than 9595% of other courses in this group.
Typical course in this group: 66.066.0 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.