4.0
Quality3.0
Difficulty79%
Would Retake113
Reviews79%
Would Retake
113
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
63
4
25
3
9
2
5
1
11
What Students Say
“CHEM353 did not physically, mentally, or spiritually challenge me in any way”
CHEM353 - 5.0 rating“Causton is incredible”
CHEM351 - 5.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
50%
Textbook Required
49%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.42 avg changeRatings by Course
353
5.0
(1)CHEM553
5.0
(2)CHEM355
4.5
(2)CHEM351
4.3
(46)OCHEM351
4.3
(4)Difficulty by Course
CHEM351AND353
3.7
CHEM409
3.5
CHEM351
3.1
CHEM101
3.0
CHEM353
3.0
Reviews (113)
Ashley is nice guy who means well. It seems this is his first teaching assignment and so I suppose we should cut him some slack; however, I'm bitter about the $300 I've payed for this course only to have to learn everything from the textbook. Perahps its just me, but I don't find him very effective.
Ditto on the waste of money. Lectures are shortened, unclear copies of the textbook. Has little patience for those who do not immediately catch on, and seemingly little to no motivation for being at the front to the classroom.
No Comments
Its his 1st semester at teaching, give him a break. He has a kewl accent, if you like a british accent to keep you awake during lectures. His lectures are informative but doesnt spoon feed for those who need it. He is a cool guy.
Ashley said that it is hard to come down to our level.As a teacher he should realize that he was once in our shoes. He pretty much just read the notes off the overhead, and didn't seem to care about the class. He is a nice guy, he just needs to be teaching something he is passionate about.
so far midterm just passed, went really well.. all because of this prof, taught well, detailed notes, clear and to the point, first time teaching, good job.. hopefully final will be the same
Awesome professor, this was his first time teaching the course (Winter 2005), he was great went into details and left nothing to the imagination, he made writing the midterm challenging (this is organic chem) yet easily approachable with the tools given to us in lectures. Goes out of his way to help and emails outlines for lectures.
For those of you who are confused, Ashley Causton is a male prof, he's Australian, and has the coolest accent! As for his teaching, it is excellent, he has great notes and his extensive use of CPS helps you interact and remain engaged in the class. He is good at explaining concepts most people find difficult.
No Comments
OMG!!! I love you Ashley! He is sooooo hot! I'm glad to see I'm not the only one drooling... I was a little worried. His lectures are really understandable, but the midterm was completely unfair. It was not at all like the stuff in class, but then again I'm a chemistry dunce, so I'm not surprised... Hooray 41%!!! Here's hoping for the final.
Beautiful. British! Beautiful! Smart! Beautiful! And did I mention... beautiful. And.... yeah. Um. Focus. So, the class is really hard, and make sure you understand the theory, because the midterm was not exactly like the practice tests, so it's surprising. But the good Doc is very clear, and willing to help in spare time. Did I mention BEAUTIFUL?
I'm not paying tuition in college to give teachers a break. They shouldn't be teaching if they're not effective, period. Ashley may be a 'nice guy' but I'm at college to be taught hopefully effectively. There should've been a person monitoring his teaching because he wasn't really effective, punctual, or consistent.
SO good looking-makes organic chem worth going to! The class is really difficult b/c Hunt writes the majority of the exams and likes to watch people fail, but Causton is MORE than willing to help out anytime - has tons of office hours and holds tutorials before the exams. Uses tons of CPS to keep you involved in the class instead of zoning out.
Awesome prof! Not an easy class at all, but he makes it pretty good. Going to lectures doesn't suck and his notes actually help you learn.
Dr. Causton is a really good prof which is extremely helpful as the class is not super easy. He explains the concepts clearly and his notes are really good and organized. He is also very cute and the accent is to die for!
No Comments
Dr. Causton was an excellent prof, and very helpful during office hours. But dear god, those ties he wears are absolutely hideous. Who ever said hand prints are fashionable? The next class should put together a money drive to get him a few new ties to replace the ones he has now. But he is a great prof.
A very good professor. He sends out template notes way ahead of lectures so that you have time to print them out (or even look over them, if you're a keener). He does quite a bit of CPS, which keeps students involved -- also, if most people get a question wrong he will take the time to go over that concept again in more detail.
Ashley is GREAT! Tons of help for a difficult class - actually knows how to use CPS and posts his notes on time. Used to tutor back in the day, so he explains concepts well. Hunt is supposedly a jerk, but Ashley is way nice. Definitly taking him again! Oh, and ladies?...He's also verrrry sexy and has a lovely accent. Eye candy for organic chem!
Though Causton was good looking and the accent was awesome, that didn't really make up for his lack of preparing students for exams! Advice, STUDY FROM DAY ONE. Do old exams and study! He's not that great but he gives you basics and a bit. Hunt ont he other hand, gives you NO basics and IS SO RUDE. So either way this class blows.
I had Dr. Hunt for 351 and I got a B- because he rushed everything at the end. I had Causton for 353 and I got an A-. Causton notes provide you with all the key information you need to know. Lectures are clear and concise. The only thing you need to do is study his notes and then do practice questions from old exams. I would take Causton over hunt.
Causton was pretty good. Explains concepts thoroughly and CPS helped quite a bit. I found old practice exams the best way to study for midterms/finals. Do as many as you can and understand the answers. And if you haven't already read he's pretty good looking for a 30-40?? yr old guy. The dreamy accent doesn't hurt either :)
Before I started o-chem, I was sure I would hate it. Ashley proved me wrong! His classes were both interesting and informative. I liked the note templates he gave us to print and how he used lectures for both teaching and CPS. He was also very approachable and willing to help me out! I'm almost dissapointed I'm done with chem after this year.
Wow, some of the comments here are very surprising. I took Dr. Causton at U of C, so perhaps I shouldn't be commenting, but...by the ratings, I couldn't even believe this was the same guy! He's a great prof at our school! Maybe he's improved or something because he really is quite good. He teaches very well - even got nominated for a teaching award
Excellent prof!!! I would recommend him extremely. I would also recommend that you STUDY FOR THIS COURSE. It's a great course as long as you stay on top of it, and Ashley helps because he gives problems to work on every class! Also very approachable and helpful. Now if only the final didn't suck so much....
Yet another successful semester with Ashley. Notes again were great, crystal clear, and he was helpful with any questions 100% of the time. So long as you go to class every day, keep up with the problems he gives, and use the practice exams... you will get an excellent mark.
Soo pretty... Took 353 with him after taking 351 with Hunt. In comparison, Causton move's very fast, hence able to cover all the essential material. CPS questions are based on old exams, so very hard. But, he does go over the common errors students make. Super nice - always willing to help students no matter how trivial the question may be.
He was OK. Not the best but still better than Hunt
Ashley is great at explaining things and is always there to help. HE IS ALSO SUCH A BABE!
GREAT professor!
He knows what is important, but goes very fast, and the lecture notes are bit jamed. Make sure you do alot of pratice exams and understand them.Paying attention to the lectures is important too. Easy A+. Dont spend too much time on labs since they r only worth 20%. DO WELL ON EXAMS!!!
His notes are easy to follow. His clicker questions are based on previous exams, which I found very useful especially for the midterm and the final. He is really nice and explains the stuff very clearly when you ask him about the lecture or lab. And of course, Ashley's such a fox I'd totally do him
Very thorough and helpful prof. His notes are concise and he is very efficient in lecture. Covers the bulk of the concepts with room to expand on what is important. Plus, he's easy to look at, so it helps to pay attention!
None of his notes have anything to do with the midterm. Not recommended but then again he's the only prof teaching this course...
Yes, as the other student says, it is a super super easy A+, just don't worry about the laboratories, don't do them. You get A+. If you do some of the laboratories you'll get A-, but if you try not to care about laboratories then you'll have an A+ or higher than A+.--------------Ashely is really fair though...
A humorless and uninspiring professor. It is evident that his interest in chemistry is lacking and his perpetually bored demeanor reflects this. Copying and pasting textbooks pages onto a PowerPoint does not qualify as teaching. I would not recommend this professor.
He's an amazing professor and makes your life easy. He will expect you to self learn some stuff (nomenclature)but he will go over it if he has time. He prefers to go over concepts that are more important first (reactions, etc). Very patient and willing to answer any question no matter how trivial it is. Also, very nice to look at!!
First, one has to realise this is definitely not the easiest of courses. But Dr. Causton managed to provide a thorough (seeing as how the other lecture never even finished the course and had to self-learn some of it)introduction to OChem. He is probably the best of the three Ochem351 Profs I had to choose from. VERY approachable and helpful
First, one has to realise this is definitely not the easiest of courses. But Dr. Causton managed to provide a thorough (seeing as how the other lecture never even finished the course and had to self-learn some of it)introduction to OChem. He is probably the best of the three Ochem351 Profs I had to choose from. VERY approachable and helpful.
Some of us came up with a theory that Dr. Causton is a robot due to complete lack of emotions and monotone British accent but he is still an excellent prof. Great class and learned a lot!
He's the best OChem prof out of the 3. His notes are clear and he takes the time to explain concepts. AND he actually finished the course material
His notes are AMAZING. Like full-blown worksheets that he probably spends 5 hours a day making. You can probably make a published book with them, and he even emails them to everyone beforehand. Amazing prof, but the course is still HARD. MC is like choices A-E and then AB AC AD AE, so you can't guess. To quote his own words, "KNOW YOUR MECHANISMS!"
Causton's notes are incredibly useful/organized which makes studying so much easier. Learn the concepts from the notes then do as many practice exams as you can. Textbook was useless.
Had him for both 351 and 355! His notes for 351 were definitely better than his notes for 355. Phase tests 2-4 were difficult (1 was just review). Lab was simple (depending on the TA you got). Final was just like practice finals. Do as many as you can. I finished with an 84.3 and asked him if I could still get an A (85%) and he said no problem =)
if it wasnt for him i wouldnt had got A. period.
Very straight forward professor who at the beginning of the semester stressed on HOW to think to become successful in OCHEM. He is very clear on what he teaches and focuses mainly on how to improve your problem solving skills which I appreciate the most. This is not an easy course and has generally a high failure rate.
Causton was awesome. Everyone whines about how hard O-chem is but as long as you show up to class, put in a bit of effort, and spend a bit of time reviewing on your own time it really wasn't that bad. Learned a LOT in the course and would gladly take another class with Causton.
Incredible prof. Taught you everything you need to know, exceptions included. The whole department is very organized and work together - so you can't really get a bad prof. In my opinion Causton is the way to go, he prepares you for the final well. You can always drop in the the chem office for help from him or Hunt.
o chem is a tough course, but he really gives helpful points and suggestions for u to succeed. he does have attitude though, but if u want to do well do practice midterms and finals!!
Good prof, knows the material well and great teacher. textbook completely unnecessary for chem357
Causton is THE best ochem prof u of c has in terms of teaching. He marks very easy in this class. Definitely recommened. The amount of work you have to do in this class is nothing (no jokes).... ....
A really good professor,but a hard course,try to attend all lectures and ace all quizzes and midterms as final is usually hard and confusing.
Ochem is a really hard intro course, but at least Causton makes it easier to digest. He's really approachable after class for questions.
best prof ever.
He's a good prof, nice organized notes, could be a bit more clear sometimes. But overall he's a good one to have for Organic Chem.
Great prof! U of C is lucky to have Causton and Hunt as OChem profs. Notes are perfect. Causton is more example based, whereas Hunt is more theory based, but you can succeed in either setting. Recommended!
He is an amazing prof! He honestly takes a lot of time into really helping the students learn, although this is a tough course, and you will require a lot of excess time outside of class to study, he does whatever he can for the students to succeed. Very valuable experience, and he has definitely changed my Uni career! Learned a lot in his class!:)
Very good professor, speaks very clearly during class and covers the material that is needed for the exam. Was helpful after class with questions before mid terms and the final. He is busy so make sure you book an appointment to see him. Very good class notes but the etext is how i got my A.
Don't be discouraged by people who say that organic chemistry is hard. That being said, Doctor Causton is one of the best instructors I've had for this course. He has perfect documents for the course, keeps you active with top hat monocle, and finishes lectures early 5 minutes or so every lecture so he can help students in person. The best
Dr. Causton is an exceptional professor! However, make sure you STUDY early and efficiently, if you don't, no matter how well the professor is, the class will be difficult. His notes are very organized, however to expand your understanding to do well on midterm and final practice and understanding is critical. Thus, I recommend reading the textbook
Very organized and clear. Notes are very well thought out. The course is not really difficult (i.e. the material really revolves around a few main concepts), but there is a lot of material, so time management is key here. Other component of the course, such the lab and tutorials complement the course well, and are easy. Exams are very fair.
DR CAUSTON IS AMAZING ! The course is really easy if you study and the labs are not bad either! really going to miss it !
CHEM353 is a continuation of CHEM351 as the material builds up from it. I personally thought CHEM 353 was easier than 351 because all you have to do is memorize reactions and mechanisms. I liked Dr. Causton's notes, but studying is essential to do well in this course (the CAL website saved my life). Overall, a good prof.
Worst prof ever for o chem. Made a class that should have been easy, difficult. Tests on material he hasn't taught.
I've read Dr Causton's reviews for 353 and I have no doubt he's a great instructor for that class. However for CHEM 357, his teaching methods are disorganized and muddy. For example, material that he took 10 minutes to explain would appear in several final exam questions, while the material he spent several classes covering would not appear at all.
Really good professor, passionate about the subject and very knowledgeable.
I loved Dr. Causton! CHEM 351 can be a really hard course but he is really accessible and cares a lot about his students, I recommend using his office hours. Instead of doing notes only, Causton does workbooks which I find really help in the long run! Overall this man is the best!
Dr. Causton is great for ochem, highly recommend him. While teaching the content he also includes how what we were learning applied to his past work in pharmaceuticals.
This guy is a gem and very very knowledgeable in his field of study. He said he taught engineers normally and I wish I could take more classes with him in the future. Ochem is a very challenging course, be prepared to ask him lots of questions if the concept is difficult and he will try his best to help. Try to go to his office every chance you get
Overall, Causton is a really good prof. However, the course is hard, so be sure to attend all lectures, and ask lots of questions, do old finals (which are easily accessible), and really take your time to understand the material thoroughly.
The course itself is quite hard but Dr. Causton makes it relatable with real world examples. His positivity is infectious and it is easy to see how much he cares about his students!
His notes are not exactly test oriented, but very informative. His lectures are great and overall a great prof
Dr. Causton is incredible. He will work as hard as you work. Extremely kind, caring guy. Came in clutch with running a midterm and final review on the Sunday before each exam. Very tough class, if you don't understand something don't wait because it won't just suddenly click, you have to work for it. Go to every single lecture if you can.
Really easy course, no idea why people even go to lecture for anything other than TopHat. If you did well in first year (3.5 GPA+), you'll do fine. Everything up to the MT is review so I skipped quite a few of those. Even MATH 267 was harder.
CHEM353 did not physically, mentally, or spiritually challenge me in any way. Good prof.
By far one of the best profs I've every had, Causton is a very approachable and explains things well, He posts fill in the blank notes (workbooks) which are very handy for study. He really cares about his students and does review sessions for the midterm and final. Chem 353 is a very difficult course memorization WILL NOT GET YOU FAR.
He is the greatest of all time.
Best prof I have had all throughout university. Very approachable & his workbooks make it really easy to follow along in class. Study for all the CAL assignments + do practice exams and you will do well in this class
Although I found his course content and examinations borderline insane for CHEM 357, he was a very fair and caring professor for CHEM 409. I found the group projects and final to be fair, and he doesn't require you to memorize too much this time around. There are a lot of group projects, but he gives good grades as long as your work is presentable.
He is so so caring and a very kind person. He also is very respectful and patient with his students during lecture and outside the classroom. Lectures can get confusing and aren't the best but that's because the course is a hard one to teach! If you go to office hours and tutorials and put in effort to understand everything , you will do well.
Dr. Causton is a very caring and knowledgable professor. Taking CHEM 353 in spring is a good choice as you are purely focus on the class. Causton's spring midterm was extremely fair and made you think the final would also be fair. How WRONG I was. That final was extremely tough and harder than all of the past exams combined.
This man is the reason that I learned organic chemistry! I literally just passed organic chemistry I, but because of professor Causton, I actually acquired an understanding of the material in organic chemistry II. He makes sure to review material and is patient with those who don't immediately understand. Such a great teacher! I highly recommend!
Doesn't care about students. Not helpful. Violates my privacy and thought I was unaware.
I would rather give my tuition money to google and youtube for actually teaching me well instead of this useless professor who doesn't even seem to know what he is doing.
Will penalize you for the mistakes he makes on exams. Will also blame you for his errors. Really awful professor. Has no respect for students.
Awesome professor. Genuinely cares about his students and takes time to properly explain concepts. Wonderful system he has set up; using slides and workbooks to properly illustrate concepts and for you to work alongside him in lecture. Tough TopHat questions, but they really make you think about the material critically!
Causton is knowledgeable and kind but couldn't manage to make the dry content of 353 interesting. His tophats are difficult but you'll be fine if you pay attention in class.
CHEM 353 was, overall, not that bad. The content was easy to understand and Causton's explanations were quite good. His TopHat questions were IMPOSSIBLE though so I stopped going to class altogether. A piece of advice to people who will take this course in the future: beware of the third CAL assignment...
If he makes any errors on his exams and penalizes you for it, you can report him.
He's a horrible prof. Your tuition should be given to google and youtube as they teach so much better than him.
Dr. Caston decided to drop the ball in spring class of 2020 by sending out pre-recorded lectures rather than holding zoom meetings where students could get the chance to interact and ask questions about a relatively difficult topic that is organic chemistry. The labs on the other hand were hit and miss depending on the TA.
Although this was an online spring class, his lectures were very clear and concise. Therefore, it was not a challenge to learn any material. The exams were completely fair so if you did your work, getting a good grade would not be a challenge.
The structure for this course was highly unorganized and poorly managed. He marked very tough on group assignments and projects while providing no rubrics or any context on how to do the assignments (giving him benefit of the doubt for covid-19...) I would say he is overall a great prof, explains things quite well. Its a tough course so... practice
Causton cares a lot about his students. After the fall 2020 351 online midterm disaster, he listened to student feedback and omitted the part of the midterm that nobody finished. Generally explains concepts well but I found his lectures about the reactions too theory heavy and when i stared doing practice questions i was lost.
He is a great instructor overall. Very good at explaining the concepts, but the online nature did not work well with his lecture style. With the course being online, the exam was harder and complicated, so if possible, take it in-person. He only holds 1 zoom Q&A lecture and no office hours, so not a lot of chance to ask questions.
I can't even get into how terrible this class was this semester. Zero help, teaching ourselves and Causton STILL hasn't responded to my email from October. Tests were longer and MUCH harder than the previous exams AND they raised the grade to get an A. The lack of care or support in this class was wild. This class ruined my semester and my GPA.
Dr. Causton's lectures are generally easy to follow and the content is well-explained. His Q/A sessions were incredibly helpful but had an inconsistent schedule. The exams were tougher than previous years (content-wise and time limit), so I strongly suggest to start studying early and keep up with the content. Overall, he's pretty okay.
Causton is a nice prof and person. He is accessible for questions via email, but his online lectures were not good for learning. Being online, we could choose which prof's lectures to watch, and I chose Causton as I like him the best, but I quickly learned his lectures are not good for teaching, and had to switch to another prof so I could learn.
His lecture-style was interesting in the online format. I found that it was helpful for learning some of the content, but not all of it. His Q/A sessions were super helpful and nice to have, and he answered questions well. Overall, Dr. Causton is a pretty solid choice is you are okay with doing some self-teaching.
Took while to get use to Causton's teaching style but found it really effective in the end. I got a B in CHEM351 but did way better in 353 because of Causton. DO the practice questions for each chapter because there is new content in them. Same goes for past midterms/finals. You won't do well if you don't do practice questions
Professor teaches nothing relevant to what is tested. Be prepared to have to teach yourself everything!
Dr. Causton has by far been the best chem prof I've had. His lectures are very inspiring and his teaching style really worked well for me. He went above and beyond and was very helpful in office hours and arranged review sessions for the class which were also very helpful. He truly made Ochem an enjoyable class!
He is one of the most amazing professors I have met in uni. He is so caring to students and his lectures are very easy to follow. He provides us with practice worksheets to work on during class which is really helpful in understanding the material. He curved the final and people got higher grades than expected.
Dr. Causton is hands down the best chemistry prof at University of Calgary. He is truly a good human being and a spectacular TEACHER. He teaches well, he goes over the content and explains everything so well for you to understand. If you do badly on the exams, that is on you for not doing enough practice problems
Great professor who actually cares about his students. Go to class and treat it like a full-time job if want to succeed. My best tip; grind the textbook and previous exams.
Prof Causton has a distinct teaching style, but engaging with it pays off. Use the textbook, do practice questions, and try Unstuck AI for study prep - it's a lifesaver alongside other resources like ChatGPT.
Dr. Causton is a caring, lighthearted prof who is always willing to help out. Very knowledgeable in his field and integrates his experience in the pharmaceutical industry into lectures which makes them more fun. If you put in time to understand concepts and spam the exam archive, this class should be a breeze (bad idea to skip class or fall behind)
BEST PROFESSOR IN THE ENTIRE INSTITUTION. Funny, light-hearted, caring, compassionate, just the best prof ever I could say so many great things about him because he is SO genuine, wants his students to succeed in this very difficult course and is ALWAYS willing to help. He deserves everything amazing in life please keep being awesome!
Highly recommend taking orgo with him!
Very good prof for a very hard class.
Amazing professor for 351! His lectures are really helpful and he explains things really well. He actually cares about you succeeding in this course (unlike Hunt) and he genuinely is a good lecturer. He also posts all his annotated notes so if you miss a lecture or two, you're covered. Make sure to go to lectures or you'll fall behind!
I'd take Chem 353 with Causton 400x again. Great lecturer, provided videos to learn the content outside of class. Open office hours and provided excellent support with examples.
dr. causton is an awesome prof. he takes the time during lectures to go through many practice questions with the class as the content is taught, and it makes a world of a difference when it comes to actually learning and understanding the content in ochem. most profs i have had don't go that far!! super kind and helpful lecturer as well :)
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
50%
Textbook Required
49%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.42 avg changeRatings by Course
353
5.0
(1)CHEM553
5.0
(2)CHEM355
4.5
(2)CHEM351
4.3
(46)OCHEM351
4.3
(4)Difficulty by Course
CHEM351AND353
3.7
CHEM409
3.5
CHEM351
3.1
CHEM101
3.0
CHEM353
3.0