Current instructor

Ian Baird

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 3.36/5 from 22 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

GEO337 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 4/5
Taught me genuinely invaluable information that I still reference to this day. Tough class but I learned such important material.
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GEO337 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
Great course, great professor
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ENVIRST/GEOG 337
Quality 1/5Difficulty 4/5
I will start by saying that the content of this course is understandable and the concepts aren't too difficult; however, I would not take this class again. Prof Baird is a very tough grader and it's quite difficult to understand what he wants from his students. Also, the lectures are pretty similar to the textbook.
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GEO337 · course not matched
Quality 3/5Difficulty 5/5
I overall liked this class. Lectures can be very long and he tends to read off the slide but overall interesting content. Tests are wild cards so make sure to know the clean definitions. He expects a lot out of his students and is very tough grader. Take another environmental class before this one. Hard to grasp concepts w/o learning them before.
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ENVIRST/GEOG 557
Quality 5/5Difficulty 4/5
Ian is a very traditional lecturer, and most of the course consists of writing two papers, listening in lecture, doing the readings, and a final exam. I found his lecturing style engaging, but he gave minimal direction on the papers in class, so if you struggle with writing at all it would be best to talk to him about your paper in person.
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ENVIRST/GEOG 337
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
Professor Baird is a excellent teacher. I am surprised that some others do not see things the way I do. He is friendly and helpful and knows the material he teaches very well. His exams and assignments are not overly difficult.
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with Ian Baird

ENVIRST 999

Advanced Independent Study

1–5 credits

Advanced independent study in environmental studies involving independent work overseen by a qualified instructor.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

William BrocklissLisa Naughton+17 more

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Fall 2025 · limited sample
GEOG 358

Human Geography of Southeast Asia

3 credits

Introduces the human geography and history of Southeast Asia, focusing on political issues, spatiality, and how ethnicity and indigeneity manifest in the region and among Southeast Asians in the U.S.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2019: 3.45 GPA, 60.0% A/AB (n=10 letter grades); Fall 2020: 3.39 GPA, 77.8% A/AB (n=9 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.00 GPA, 66.7% A/AB (n=9 letter grades).

Ian Baird

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2026–Spring 2026 · limited sample
GEOG 682

Senior Honors Thesis

2–3 credits

Individual mentored study for seniors completing theses for Honors in the Major, arranged with a faculty member.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Song GaoRobert Roth+13 more

No recorded grade history

Recorded teaching history

Distinct courses recorded per term

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Spring 2027ENVIRST 999Advanced Independent Study
Spring 2027ENVIRST/GEOG 336International Environmental Governance
Spring 2027GEOG 358Human Geography of Southeast Asia
Spring 2027GEOG 682Senior Honors Thesis
Spring 2027GEOG 691Senior Thesis
Spring 2027GEOG 699Directed Study
Spring 2027GEOG 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2027GEOG 999Independent Work
Fall 2026ENVIRST/GEOG 337Nature, Power and Society
Fall 2026ENVIRST/GEOG 557Development and Environment in Southeast Asia
Fall 2026GEOG 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026GEOG 699Directed Study
Fall 2026GEOG 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2026GEOG 999Independent Work

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

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