Hes very passionate about the subject which you want in a professor. Sometimes I wish he'd go more in depth on certain topics that do get covered in exams and quizzes, but overall his style of teaching is pretty solid. The exam structure is my biggest criticism as you have one midterm and one final which is too little imo, but not bad overallRate My Professors ↗
Current instructor
Michael Cardiff
What students say
Original student reviews · all captured dates
Fun class, lots of cool rocks and natural disaster case studies. Prof. Cardiff gives good lectures with multimedia demonstrations. He uses in-class questions, and attendance counts towards your grade. Labs are the most difficult part of the class (they often run overtime). The textbook is easy to read, but it covers a lot each week- take notes!Rate My Professors ↗
This class was excruciatingly boring (one of those classes that everyone is playing the NYT games to ease the pain). He has very little grade transparency as well. Final grades were put in and they appeared much differently in grade letter than canvas had indicated all semester. This class is a definite no from me.Rate My Professors ↗
Not a terrible class if you go to every lecture and discussion. I just didn't enjoy the material.Rate My Professors ↗
Some concepts and assignment expectations weren't made clear and the discussion section usually left students more confused. However, I think the course gives a good overview of many geological concepts and was an interesting class to take for General Education requirement.Rate My Professors ↗
Professor Cardiff is extremely passionate in his work. His course taught me a lot, despite some challenge with labs and the pandemic. I definitely recommend him.Rate My Professors ↗
Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.
Classes with Michael Cardiff
Environmental Geology applies geology to problems arising from the intensive use of the earth and its resources.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Michael Cardiff
Michael Cardiff taught passionate lectures, often using questions to involve the class. Students described exams as straightforward, with one reviewer noting the course featured a midterm and a final.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Research
1–12 creditsResearch course in GEOSCI supervised by individual faculty members, requiring graduate or professional standing.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
Introduction to groundwater flow modeling principles, emphasizing regional flow system analysis, conceptual understanding of governing equations, finite difference techniques, and USGS packaged models like MODFLOW.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2012: 3.57 GPA, 85.7% A/AB (n=14 letter grades); Fall 2014: 3.85 GPA, 92.3% A/AB (n=13 letter grades); Spring 2022: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=1 letter grades).
No recorded grade history
Master's Research or Thesis
1–9 creditsUnder faculty supervision.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
Recorded teaching history
Distinct courses recorded per term
Explore courses taught by this instructor →Browse recorded courses
| Term | Course | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Spring 2027 | ENVIRST/GEOSCI 106 | Environmental Geology |
| Spring 2027 | GEOSCI 990 | Research |
| Spring 2027 | GEOSCI/GLE 724 | Groundwater Flow Modeling |
| Spring 2027 | GLE 790 | Master's Research or Thesis |
| Fall 2026 | GEOSCI 699 | Directed Study |
| Fall 2026 | GEOSCI 777 | Electron Microprobe Analysis |
| Fall 2026 | GEOSCI 990 | Research |
| Fall 2026 | GEOSCI/GLE 627 | Hydrogeology |
| Fall 2026 | GLE 790 | Master's Research or Thesis |
Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.
Instructor identity & provenance
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