Current instructor

Basil Tikoff

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 4.23/5 from 26 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.

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

What students say

Original student reviews · all captured dates

ILS 153
Quality 2/5Difficulty 3/5
Basil is knowledgeable, and explains things well. He is a very good scientist. However, his assignments are very disconnected and hard to follow, and feedback often contradicts the prompt he gives. He is almost never consistent. Readings are fine, but he is a very subjective, unhelpful, and unclear grader.
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GEO202 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
Basil truly wishes the best for all of his students and makes his free time your time. I really enjoyed his course however it is definitely challenging in ways that were unexpected. Definitely not a course you can skip at all, I don't think you could pass unless you had lots of previous knowledge on the subject while skipping.
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GEO202 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 4/5
Basil might be one of the best professors I have ever had. Each course I take now, I hope that he is teaching it. Not only is he able to excellently and clearly articulate difficult spatial problems, he very genuinely cares about his students and their understanding of the topic. He also makes himself extremely available for student support.
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GEO202 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
Basil was my favorite professor I have had in college. He explains complex concepts in a very digestible way. Always open to feedback or explaining things in a different way.
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ILS 153
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
I loved Basil, he is so sweet and impressively knowledgeable in so many different areas. I liked the material in this class, but I sometimes found the expectations for assignments to be unclear and there was often an extreme amount of work, which could be frustrating. However, I would still recommend taking a class with him if you can.
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ILS 153
Quality 4/5Difficulty 2/5
I loved Basil. He's a great prof and a great person. He really cares about his students and cares about their learning and understanding of the topic. He has some issues with technology and with being clear about assignments, but overall gives good lectures. This course was a lot of work, but I feel it was worth it because I learned a lot.
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with Basil Tikoff

GEOSCI 682

Senior Honors Thesis

3 credits

Senior Honors Thesis is individual mentored study for seniors completing theses for Honors in the Major, arranged with a faculty member.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2022: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=1 letter grades).

Stephen MeyersClay Kelly+10 more

No recorded grade history

GEOSCI 875

Advanced Topics in Geology

1–3 credits

Advanced Topics in Geology covers special topics in Geoscience, focusing on evaluating research, assessing scientific information, and communicating results to peers.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2022: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=9 letter grades); Spring 2024: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=7 letter grades); Spring 2025: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=14 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Stephen MeyersShanan Peters+12 more

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026
GEOSCI 990

Research

1–12 credits

Research course in GEOSCI supervised by individual faculty members, requiring graduate or professional standing.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Stephen MeyersShanan Peters+19 more

No recorded grade history

GEOSCI/GLE 455

Structural Geology

4 credits

Structural Geology covers rock deformation principles, structures in layered rocks, and intrusive structures, with lab work on 3D problems and a field trip.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2022: 3.43 GPA, 47.6% A/AB (n=21 letter grades); Spring 2023: 3.44 GPA, 72.2% A/AB (n=18 letter grades); Spring 2024: 3.42 GPA, 50.0% A/AB (n=6 letter grades).

Basil Tikoff

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026 · limited sample
ILS 153

Ways of Knowing in the Sciences

4 credits

Ways of Knowing in the Sciences introduces science as inquiry and discovery, emphasizing hands-on lab and lecture learning with small group work and interactive discussion.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Basil Tikoff

Basil Tikoff taught this course with a mix of enthusiasm and frustration. Students noted he was knowledgeable and personable, but frequently criticized unclear assignment expectations, inconsistent grading, and heavy workloads. While some found the class fun and worth the effort, others felt the disconnected assignments and lack of timely feedback made it difficult to succeed.

Basil Tikoff

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2025–Spring 2025 · limited sample

Recorded teaching history

Distinct courses recorded per term

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Spring 2027GEOSCI 199Directed Study
Spring 2027GEOSCI 681Senior Honors Thesis
Spring 2027GEOSCI 682Senior Honors Thesis
Spring 2027GEOSCI 691Senior Thesis
Spring 2027GEOSCI 692Senior Thesis
Spring 2027GEOSCI 698Directed Study
Spring 2027GEOSCI 699Directed Study
Spring 2027GEOSCI 875Advanced Topics in Geology
Spring 2027GEOSCI 990Research
Spring 2027GEOSCI/GLE 455Structural Geology
Spring 2027GLE 790Master's Research or Thesis
Spring 2027GLE 890Pre-dissertator's Research
Spring 2027GLE 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2027GLE 999Independent Work
Spring 2027ILS 153Ways of Knowing in the Sciences
Fall 2026GEOSCI 198Directed Study
Fall 2026GEOSCI 202Introduction to Geologic Structures
Fall 2026GEOSCI 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026GEOSCI 682Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026GEOSCI 691Senior Thesis
Fall 2026GEOSCI 699Directed Study
Fall 2026GEOSCI 755Advanced Structural Geology
Fall 2026GEOSCI 990Research
Fall 2026GLE 699Independent Study
Fall 2026GLE 790Master's Research or Thesis
Fall 2026GLE 890Pre-dissertator's Research
Fall 2026GLE 990Research and Thesis

Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.

Instructor identity & provenance 
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