2.4
Quality3.2
DifficultyN/A
Would Retake114
ReviewsN/A
Would Retake
114
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
21
4
9
3
21
2
33
1
30
What Students Say
“The exams were all straightforward and easy (and best of all in class)”
CHEM103 - 4.0 rating“He is a good guy, but just not cut out for teaching”
CHEM104 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.00 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEM699
5.0
(2)CHEM
5.0
(1)103
4.0
(2)C
4.0
(1)CLASSSECT
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
1034
5.0
CHEMISTRY
5.0
104
4.1
CHEM103
3.3
CHEM104
3.3
Reviews (114)
I hated this class! He is a good guy, but just not cut out for teaching.
Pointless experiments, horrible accent, Elmer Fudd, hot girls were the only plus
too much work
he screwed up redox for me
Excellent teacher. Had great demonstrations to show relevance to chemistry.
No Comments
nice and very helpful, always willing to explain when needed
Everybody seemed to like him, but I don't know why. He was very annoying, and thought he was so brilliant with all his dumb experiments. As other guy said, hot girls were a plus.
Gets students involved
The experiments are pointless & a waste of time, though fun to watch. Often out of town, therefore many guest speakers & lecturers. Many discrepancies over exam questions (ie little mistakes in grading that affect everyone & he will supposedly fix later)
Always out of town, he better quit and go travelling instead. Nice but useless experiments.
Out of town a lot, but a really good lecturer. If you put your time in, there's no reason you shouldn't do well.
if you want to do the work he makes the tests very easy, if you dont do his homework you fail
No Comments
Bassam is the guest lecturer in his own course. His "necessary" trips to new york and stuff takes him out of class 60% of the time. When I confronted him in office hours, he scolded and put me down for not listening. Don't make my mistake, pa
Um, all I can say is...his final exam may be worth 2/3 of your grade (especially if you have had a bad grade on a prior test) but unless you have mindlessly memorized the rediculously mundane details, don't expect to get an A on it!
Pretty easy class... his lectures weren't too boring.
Good lecturer. Not very approachable in office hours. Made me feel incredibly stupid when I went to ask him a question in office hours. Does not curve tests, even when entire class does extremely bad. Workbook that he wrote was extremely helpful.
The people who think his demos and such are pointless are (no offense) dumb freshman. I went on to teach chem and am back as a grad student. Yes,his class is hard...duh its chemistry! Get over it.He is a fantastic teacher,master of his craft.
He was a great professor. I'm in someone else's lecture for 104, and although my prof is good, I really miss Shakashiri. If you don't get an A, it's most likely because you were too lazy to put your time in. Final exam was easy.
WONDERFUL Prof.
Exams were easy; he was interesting. Couldn't get much better.
Helped him with Science is Fun presentations and I learned a lot from him. He is so nice and a wonderful professor.
He is a very intelligent professor. Tests are not that bad as long as you know what you are doing. Has reinforcement and enrichment lectures on Fridays, nice way to make sure you understand. He wants you to teach yourself more than him teach you
Stay current with your work and his class isn't too bad. He actually cares about how you do and what you think, which is doing better than a lot of people at this school. There are't very many professors that are better for an incoming freshman.
it's as simple as this: if you're willing to put in the time and effort, i recommend shakashiri. if you don't intend to study the material, STAY AWAY--a lot of memorization for this course.
His lectures didn't help much for exam prep. and he assigned about 150% amt of work I got in Chem 103. He adds in extra material like the Chem of the Week and Enrichment Lectures. He didn't hold his teaching time up to the standards he expected.
surely harder than 103. He doesn't present material very well. Enrighment lectures were a waste of valuble time. Take Treichel.
he sucks. don't take him
hes terrible dont take him. i thought i was going to get a great chemistry lesson bc of his reputation....i was wrong.
He tries to make things harder for students.
Not my favorite. He is a mediocre lecturer. He assigns a significant amount of work that isn't critical and then he says he can't get to everything in lecture. He isn't helpful as he doesn't really really know everything inside and out. You'll ask him something, he'll just say you should know it.
He did a lot of cool experiments in class.
Exams are just like the practice exams he give you. As long as you do the assignments he assigns you will do fine in the class. Lectures are kind of boring and he doesn't write anything on the board so you probably won't take that many notes.
He may come across like he doesn't care, but I work for him and know that he doesnt say anything unless there is a reason for it. He may come across as harsh, but only because he doesn't believe in free rides. Dont go to office hours and ask questions that can be answered by glancing at the textbook
I didn't like his style. Hes sort of arrogant. We didn't get enough time on tests.
Awful teaching style. He is very arrogant, and unwilling to help students during his lecture. If you ask him questions, he makes you look up the answer yourself, even if you are extremely confused. He likes to trick students by putting mistakes up on the board.
He is a pompous, arrogant prick. He will not explain things in lectures, he makes mistakes on the board, claims they are on purpose and then won't explain his corrections. He gets way too excited about color changes and expects you to figure out problems he has yet to explain. Avoid him if you can
his lectures are unorganized and useless. when students ask questions, he just tells them to think about it. his exams are too long for the time period and have questions that are unfair (only sometimes) these are trivial questions about guest lectures.
Sorta thought of himself as a rockstar which was kinda ridiculous but funny- like he cancelled the last day of class to pass out signed posters of himself. I loved the experiments he did in class! I think he genuinely cares about teaching and I liked the class's organization.
No Comments
Three words: worst professor ever! His teaching style is NOTHING like Shreiner's, i.e., Shreiner is helpful and gives useful lectures, while Shakashiri will try his best to blunder through a lecture. He makes many, many mistakes in lecture. Pray for a great TA b/c that's the only way you'll learn.
Do not take a class from this professor!! He will write the wrong thing on the board on purpose, and then justify that by saying we should be paying attention and catch the mistakes he makes... if you dont he won't say anything!
He is very unorganized, does not complete his lectures but expects that you learn from the workbook. Practice tests have wrong answers that can be misleading.. You will have to learn from your TA and the workbook (which also has mistakes). Grade = 3 midterms, weekly worksheets, labs.
Can't say much nice about him. He is a lot of hot air. He doesn't know much about chem and he doesn't try very hard to make his lectures useful; still, that doesn't stop him from assigning an excess amount of material from three workbooks to lot of book problems.
For a chem prof, he is suprisingly uninterested in science issues and the material he tries to teach. If you go in to office hours he'll stagger through your questions, and will be quick to accuse you of not studying enough. Some say they think he's nice -- I think he is but he just doesn't work as a chemistry "expert".
He isn't even in class for the first three weeks. Enough said. And my TA sucks!
The lectures were horribly unclear and he kind of comes off as rude when kids correct his dumb mistakes. However, his tests are mirror images of the practice ones that he gives out, and they weren't that hard if you read on your own and do the workbook.
Definately keep up with the readings and workbook exercises. He doesn't like to fully explain things in class so you need to be able to talk to you TA or teach yourself if you don't understand something. He does have good demonstrations though...
Worst professor I have ever had. Does not explain or teach anything in lecture. Expect to teach yourself everything.
Doesn't Teach... Pray for a good TA
wow...he definitely doesn't teach in a style you would expect from a chemistry professor. read before lecture or else it's pointless to go because he doesn't fully explain things. nice guy though. and his tests are EXACTLY like the practice ones!! overall not a hard class if you put in some effort
Was very inconsistent and hard to follow during lecture
AWFUL PROFESSOR
No Comments
His test are kind of ridiculous.
He was hard to follow during lecture, but it doesn't matter because his practice tests are identical to the exams he gives and the TAs will help you. He is a lot more fair than people give him credit for. For example, if your grade on the final is better than your exam averages, it replaces the average. Can't get better than that. I'd take him agai
If you do the practice exam, you took part of the exam already. He never likes to come up with new problems so if you do all the**** he assigns, odds are you'll see it agian.
Lectures are hard to follow. Doesn't explain things at all. Test are pretty easy if you do the review sheets. Hope you have a good TA. Writes things down on the board wrong. Likes to lecture on how stupid the students are and how bad the class did on tests. Is gone a lot. Hard to adjust when he isn't there. Wouldn't take him again.
Bad prof.dose not explain things clearly and if someone asks a question he thinks is dumb he will mock them in front of the whole lecture hall.The only good thing is half the time he dose not come and Dr.Schriner teaches instead,only bad thing to this is Schreiner dose not write the exam so although he teaches well, he dose not teach the right stuf
He uses the same questions from the practice exams on the actual exams. He doesn't explain hardly anything and his lectures are very unorganized. Once he did the same experiment for us three times (each in a different lecture). Taking class with him won't really help you in the future, unless you take a class with him. His bull sessions are dumb.
I am sooo happy to see that his overall rating is a frowned face. He is a very uninspiring instructor -- yet he is supposed to be an expert of chemical education. He wastes class time and does not explain the material.
Not my favorite prof, very confusing in lecture if you don't read the material first because it is hard to tell where he is headed with his examples. Exams are difficult, but lots of points (100). If you study the material thouroughly, you'll do alright on the exams. Look at the chem tips and practice probs, you'll see them on exam.
Uhh yeah ... hes great as long as you do not ask him anything about chemistry. Its a sensitive subject for him and he doesn't think he should be harassed with questions.
baaddd
Just because Shakashiri is famous does not mean he can teach. Lectures were more confusing than anything. If you know the practice exams you should be ok on the real exams. The final exam was impossible! I would recommend a different professor if at all possible.
Shak tends to make mistakes on the board. He often leaves to do chem presentations in foreign countries (?). Encourages rugged individualism. Better get a good TA.
He is a horrible, horrible man. I dont think he knows anything about chem or teaching chem. He should be an advocate for CPADD, or Chem Professors against **** Driving, because he is very devoted to alcohol. He tests suck ass. One of the questions was about cooking hamburgers. DO NOT TAKE THIS MAN OR U WILL REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!!!
he thinks that he is more fameous than he actually is. the material is relatively easy, but his lectures are sloppy and unorganized. he left for 3 weeks to go to the middle east or something, and dr schriner taught the class. the grades for that midderm were mostly A's. if you can teach it to yourself, take this class, if not, dont
this guy wrote the book so he thinks he knows what he's talkin about. if you get stuck with him for gen chem like i did you might want to switch out or show up **** cause thats the only way you can sit through his lectures.
I loved him
This professor sucks. He teaches a lot of contemporary chemistry and no one really cares about unless if you plan to major in chemistry. He hands out these "chemicals of the week" which he wants you to read through and puts it on the test, complete waste of time. Get out of this class as soon as possible.
Doesn't make good use of class time for a guy who's supposed to be an education expert. If you ask him a tough question about chem, I gaurantee he will not be able to answer it. As far as grades go, he's not too tough but it is easy to run out of time on the midterms. The most important part of the class is the practice tests.
He's the kind of teacher that gives a bunch of examples and assumes those few examples cover all of chemistry. The only thing that got me through this course is his workbook because he doesn't teach you anything--the lectures are useless. He gives in-class multiple choice/short answer exams that are way too long and hard to complete in 50 minutes.
There's nothing to say but please please please if you even care about your GPA or your life at all, DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS. He teaches awful, he gets problems wrong ALL the time. You have to memorize chemicals of the week, and he literally has little useless pieces of trivia on exams. He makes you buy HIS books, which just screws you over.
I would say dont take this guy and I am an biochem major and I love this subject. If you have him, GO TO EVERY LECTURE. They may seem pointless, but then there are questions that are on the exams that will be stupid and he is just seeing if you go to lecture. He asked on an exam what april 22nd is what the names of the guest speakers were...
THis is my first time rating professor, but I gotta do this time. Ok, he teaches poorly and what he does is just reaction experiment. He barely teaches materials but if you do practice exam, it won't be that hard. Also, his Workbook is really helpful. Just study that book, it will help you a lot. Biggest deal:Ace final, ull get A! FInal was easy.
I was excited to take his class because of his credentials but after the first week of class i was miserable. He doesn't teach the material but instead expects you to know what he's talking about. He is constantly making mistakes. His mid terms are very long but the material isn't to bad. the final was doable and is basically your final grade.
Made me interested in continuing to learn science
TA taught us everything we learned.
the guy is useless and full of himself but go to class. pay attention to your ta. if you understand simple math and science at all this class will be easy. you may not always think you are doing great but in the end it's a total bordom struggle. use the workbook problems to review for tests, don't bother readying them though. don't buy text book.
I personally like this prof. a lot I think he connects everything very well!
i was expecting a good teacher, but i was disappointed me. he hardly teaches. instead, he talks about random useless information for at least half of class every lecture. he does cover important things in lecture, but half the time is wasted. he is very intimidating as well
cool experiments and limited class time. he canceled all friday lectures and about half of our labs. however you'll learn everything from your TA so make sure they're good. his workbook really does help which is good cause he doesnt. his tests are not usually relevant to the practice problems that he gives out so beware...
he wastes a lot of time on useless information that wont help you on tests or....well, ever. learn everything through your TA or by yourself. kinda dissappointed from what i'd heard before...
Seriously, if you are taking chemistry do not take it with this guy. Terrible lectures, and hard tests. He's old, riding on his ego and not helpful outside of class. In comparison to the other chem teachers, he is significantly harder, so do something I wish I would have done and take a different professor for chem.
He is a terrible teacher
He has good intentions, but really is not the best teacher. Unorganized, unprepared lectures. Covers lots of information compared to other intro chem professors. His workbook is really helpful. If you love Chemistry, perhaps you'll love Shakhashiri. If not, perhaps you should drop.
Terrible class -too much material, too fast, too disorganized, you basically have to teach yourself. The man was definitely riding his ego. Tests were impossible. Please do yourself a favor and take a different professor. I'll be doing the same next semester because I failed the class.
please please do yourself a big favor: do not take his class. although i received a descent grade but i taught myself 90% of the materials. This guy is really unorganized, tests were hard but without big curves and he likes to jump from one topic to another in two seconds.So basically is either u get a different prof or get a good TA with this guy.
I very much enjoyed his lectures and I found them to be helpful for the most part. He is immensely generous with his grading policies, and as long as you do the recommended book work and the like you shouldn't have a problem in his class.
does he give his ridiculous final curve every semester??
WORST PROF. EVER! the only point in going to lecture is to catch the random stupid facts he puts on tests. He is completely useless. You must rely HEAVILY on a good TA and thouroughly reading your text book because you won't learn ANYTHING from him, except for the dangers of alcohol.
Lectures are boring. He can get on peoples nerves during lecture. He is an unorthodox lecturer. The workbook is really helpful, it pretty much replaces the textbook. Tests are really easy. Do the workbook and you should get a good grade.
Easiest class ever, the final counts for everything. no need to show up to lecture
No Comments
very useless questions on the exam. not clear what he is saying in leacutre. I've been to almost every lectures, but didn't help
ABSOLUTELY useless lecturer. He just blew stuff up. His tests are easy though. However, I wouldn't recommend him if you want to learn something, and I especially hate those stupid chemicals of the week, it was a waste of my time.
The practice exams tell you what random questions about his random lectures will be on the actual exam. The workbook and his other books explain exactly what you need to know. To get a good grade...do all assigned problems other than the textbook (make sure you know how to do each problem), do the practice exams and "study questions". IT'S SO EASY
It takes a while to learn how to take notes in lecture. Once you understand how to do that it's pretty easy. Having a good TA is crucial to doing well in this class. Do everything in the Work Book and you will do well in this class. He really wants everyone to do well, which helps.
Class seems hard, but when you get the final grade it will probably be higher than you thought originally. Never touched the text or workbook, went to all the lectures and did well. Not well organized, makes mistakes, and comes off as rude. Wastes a lot of time with metaphors and telling the class that they can do better. I'd give him a C-
He lectures more on the dangers of drinking than he does on chemistry. all he does is blow things up which is cool at first, but after a while you wish you could be learning something useful. pray for a good TA or prior knowledge in the subject
Shak is the man. He is hardcore old school, but extremely fair. His lectures are ok, interesting but don't always apply. DO EVERY ASSIGNED WORKBOOK PROBLEM and you will get an A. Everyone complains about him but his test are extremely fair. If you learn everything in the workbook you have no excuse for not doing well. He wrote the wb..DO IT
One of the worst professors at this university! Very pompous and arrogant. Cares a lot about his personal campaigns, but not at all about his actual teaching. Regularly made mistakes in class, luckily I had a TA who caught them all. AVOID
He doesn't really know a whole lot about chem and thus, is very defensive whenever he's asked a tough question
I think Shak is a great professor. Class is never boring, he's clear, he's funny, and the exams aren't that hard, I've usually jsut gotten things wrong because of stupid mistakes I've made. Just make sure you do the workbook which was created by him and you'll learn everything well. Shak also cancels a lot of friday classes
Shakhashiri is a great professor. His class is not difficult at all as long as you attend lecture and do the assigned workbook problems in the workbook that he authored himself. I would highly recommend him to anyone taking GenChem!
Chemical of the week is pretty annoying, but other than that a good professor. Attendance at lectures is essential because exam material often covers demos done in class. Easiest exams of all my professors at UW
shakhashiri is awesome! he has fun teaching and you can tell her really enjoys his job. the class isn't hard at all and he basically gives you ever exam prior to the test. there are practice exams that are literately the exam. its an easy A and his lectures aren't boring at all.
His lectures are interesting, and if you do the work problems he recommends, you should do fine on his exams. He's a nice and enthusiastic teacher. I'm glad I took it with him.
Exams are really easy, just do all the practice problems and you will do good. But a horrible teacher, really unorganixed
Demonstrations in lecture were cool, but he was often unclear and LOVED asking us questions and refusing to answer them aloud when no one knew them. Basically all exams were based on workbook problems. Reading the textbook was almost useless. He also refused to write much of anything on the board.
He blows stuff up all the time in lecture which is sweet. His exams are very straightforward and no tricks. He genuinely has a passion for teaching and passing on knowledge to others.
Very good teacher for intro chemistry. The exams were all straightforward and easy (and best of all in class). Lectures were often entertaining because he blew stuff up.
Class Info
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.00 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEM699
5.0
(2)CHEM
5.0
(1)103
4.0
(2)C
4.0
(1)CLASSSECT
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
1034
5.0
CHEMISTRY
5.0
104
4.1
CHEM103
3.3
CHEM104
3.3