Historical instructor

JAMES STEELE

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 3.50/5 from 8 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

FS550 · course not matched
Quality 4/5Difficulty 3/5
He has really interesting lectures with bits of stories and experiences mixed in with all the chemistry and microbiology. He is obviously very passionate about fermented foods and the craft cheese and beer industry. This class was my favorite I've taken so far.
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FOODSCI 375
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
One of my favorite professors. Going to lecture is essential for doing well. But if you take the time to study, tests are just on material covered in lecture. Very clear and interesting.
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FS301 · course not matched
Quality 4/5Difficulty 3/5
Attend lecture every day, its the best way to succeed. Study each slide and know just about everything on it. Steele loves questions where he asks you to list 4 out of 6 qualities. Lab is always straight forward but the reports can be tedious.
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MICRO375 · course not matched
Quality 2/5Difficulty 4/5
Terrible class. Tests are multiple choice and basically require you to regurgitate details from lecture slides. Do not take this class. I wish I could have taken a food science lab instead.
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FS301 · course not matched
Quality 4/5Difficulty 3/5
I decided to switch my major to Food Sci after taking this course. Dr. Steele is a great lecturer, and is very approachable. Exams were fair, lectures were interesting, and the material can be applied to everyday life. The lab reports were confusing and tedious at times. Ask questions. Also, exam/lab report grading is slow. Be prepared to wait.
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with JAMES STEELE

No teaching recorded in Fall 2026.

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Recorded teaching history

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

Instructor identity & provenance 
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