3.6
Quality3.6
Difficulty59%
Would Retake193
Reviews59%
Would Retake
193
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193 total ratings5
67
4
59
3
32
2
16
1
19
What Students Say
“Genuinely likes interacting with his students though”
CHEM1311 - 3.0 rating“Lots of assignments, 2 assignments due every week, but it's all good because Richyboi is a gem”
CHM1311 - 4.0 ratingClass Info
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100%
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35%
Textbook Required
54%
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5.0
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Reviews (191)
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Midterm was killer! But helpful.
-midterm was way too hard. assigned hw did not prepare me for it!!
Midterm was way too hard: average was 46%. Did not make up for it enough, either, even though it was his mistake for a) not teaching effectively b) making mistakes on the questions and c) making the questions WAY too hard. Makes a ton of errors.
The person below forgot to add that the midterm average of 46% was AFTER the bell curve!Prof Richeson is very enthusiastic about chemistry, so the lectures are the least dry that chemistry lectures can be.But his exams were KILLER!!!Be prepared to learn alot, but not have it reflected in your grade
cool enthusiastic guy. i don't blame HIM for me not being able to stay awake in his class.
His enthusiasm is very encouraging. His love of chemistry makes this class enjoyable. The midterms are tough.
The midterms will not reflect your knowledge on the subject. They are fair midterms though. In the first year course you are essentially relearning high school which is boring. His ability as a teacher is good but he tends to have problems with his videos too often.
Okay his first midterm was hard..but he made up for it on his second midterm. He is very helpful and cares about his students. I think he's pretty good teacher...a little on the hard side but sill good.
This teacher is AMAZING!!! He is always VERY entertaining in class and keep everyone awake.... which is more than i can say for some CSI Teachers (Williams). Mr. richardson helps his students when they need it and cares fopr their needs. Everything everyone else said, said it cause they are dumb!!!!
Grrr, ruined chemistry for me forever. WAS my favourite subject, now I'm failing because going to class amde everything worse. Goes way too fast and doesn't give the class a break!!!
took away my whole interest in chemistry. the grades that resulted form his class made me lose ALL my self-esteem since i was doing all the work and listening more than anyone. but NOTHING reflected in my marks since the midterms were just KILLERS
ya worst course i took so far EVER and i'm in second year. he doesn't ever test the material properly. likes to se bad marks.
rough
His first midterm was hard at the time bc I was caught unprepared (expecting highschool type questions) so I did poorly. However, scores got better and IT IS UNIVERSITY!! You can't expect it to be unchallenging. Great guy, teaches material well and he really cares about his students.
Unfortunately, as much as i would love to have improved from the first midterm, it only got worse. Uni sucks with richeson
Excellent teacher. The man knows chemistry inside-out and makes it interesting. Anyone who complains about his midterms is just trying to avoid the truth - they're haters because they didn't study (which is more than just skimming through lecture notes) and they paid for it.
Seems to be teaching only for the extra paycheck...really horrible teacher. For all the midterms this semester atleast half the class failed.
Worst prof ever!Man Chmistry with him was a nightmare.Who ever is saying that we didn't study for the midterms they might wanna know how hard evry1 studied,& then comment on it. True,he's very into Chem, but this man surely doesn't know how to interest the students.Never ever going to take any cours
Just one sentence: If you see Richerson in your schedule, don't ask any questions, JUST RUN!
Very ethusiastic about Chemistry, but terrible at making you feel the same about Chemistry. It's like only he should like chemistry in this world! Meany, meany!
frankly, i am just THANKFUL i even got a B in his course! DONT TAKE CHEM WITH RICHESON! THIS IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU WILL EVER GET!!
worst teacher yet
most awful class i EVER took with worst prof! Don't ever take ANY classes with him unless you're dying to get D's and E's as your grades.... he seems really nice but then he turns on you with the MOST EVIL midterms I've ever seen, and then wonders why the class average is like 40%!!!
he will fail you on the first midterm and then he will jutify that by saying "i am an experimentalist, i like to experiment" yea well why dont you go and experiment your f***in a**!!!
VERY tough class, but nice guy. Go to DGDs, they are helpful. I wouldn't run from his classes but at the same time, be prepared to work; it isn't a free ride.
"be prepared to work"..you can say that again! the man is killer!..like, i got a B but suffered a lifetime of paranoia..oh, and review your midterms and finals! needless marks are always taken off like crazy.
he's sexy...very very sexy...he makes it hard to pay attention to anything else in class except him
this dude is boring, his classes are not as hard as everyone is saying though.
Awesome Teacher, He doens't bog you down with memorization. Explains really well. DGDs are awesome. Not as bad as the failures on this site are making him seem. However, do be prepared to work, but you'll find you'll be one of the better prepared students. Wants students to succeed. Cool guy
If it's a choice between Rashmi and Richeson, take Richeson. If it's a choice between Pell and Richeson, take Pell. The guy explains well, but one or two of his midterms are pretty tough. Be prepared to work hard.
Despite his fast pace, his teaching method is awesome..I loved the way he teaches. To get excellent marks, you've got to study lecture by lecture or then you will not be able to succeed. You also need to practice the questions that he suggests solving.His midterms were really really hard...But I think the final was really fair..Good luck!
He is a very good teacher, he tries to make everything fair. although the second miterm was hard. go to DGDs, and if you study hard, you'll get the mark.
Speaks fast, but is interesting to listen too. Can easily explain things.
Wicked teacher.. I mean, for chemistry, you gotta be doing something right to get the message across.
Horrible Professor. Can't teach.
Really enjoyed his class, love his movies. He's a pretty fun prof. He explains concepts really well and I'm very glad that he did his own DGDs. Do the assigned work before hand! Midterms were relatively hard but if you're prepared for them you can still do very well.
His class is brutal so unless you are UBERsmart you need to attend EVERY class and DGD and do EVERY problem to have any chance of passing his class. He speaks very fast and his lectures are sometimes confusing but he does his own DGDs which are fantastic. He tries really hard which is nice.
Even though he goes really fast, he still tries very hard to make sure you understand everything, and he always tries several ways of explaining concepts.
you suck
He is one hot babe.
I didn’t find his class very useful. He regurgitated his online notes verbatim; I mean it is like listening to a computer generated voice. As anybody can see from the ridiculously low midterms score averages, the midterms and final exam did not reflect the course material he taught or online tests. I suggest picking another professor for Chem1311
All I have to say is he is one arrogant ass. I agree that the midterms and final do not reflect material taught, the midterm marks were very low but he will justify it by saying it all works out in the end. I don’t understand how you justify an average of 35%. This is a reflection of your ability to teach not the other way around. I wish I had pick
Although the midterms are hard and the average is low ,the final is easy and you end up eith a good mark.I like him.
I thought he was quite good as a prof. If you go to his office hrs, he really devotes time to each indiv. student. His mid-terms/final are FAIR, but you HAVE TO ATTEND ALL DGD's+solve problems+do previous yrs' mid-terms in order to do well! He explains well and his classes are stimulating. (BTW, he's easier than Rashmi but harder than Pell)
Richeson is a very nice guy, but he is NOT that great of a professor. He uses powerpoint notes and speed reads through them. His midterms are hard, but that's so he can make the final decent/easier (other teachers do the opposite). Get your hands on some old midterms since he just changes the numbers, and go to his DGDs which he does himself.
Fairly good prof. His midterms and exams aren't really related to what's covered in class, so make sure to do the old midterms. He tends to make some topics seem more difficult than they need to be, so be sure to supplement his class notes by reading the textbook.
- hard to follow
Richeson is a nice guy, but a weak prof, he'll speed read through all his power point slides and won't do much teaching during the lectures, however he's oddly better at teaching during the DGDs, but his midterms are tough with low averages around 50%
He teaches the course very well, everything makes sense. The midterms are fair. Overall good prof.
Dr. Richeson RIFLES through his presentations, slide to slide. Quick note taking skills are KEY as well as lots of studying as exam questions are often synthesized with many other units. He does answer any questions well and usually finds a way to help you understand a certain topic.
He is EXTREMELY helpful. Always available and glad to help. This cource is very easy to do amazing in IF and only if you do every question he assigns at the end of each lecture. His midterms and finals are all questions directly from the textbook so GO TO THE DGDSSS!! They will help you so much!
Moves really quickly through his slides so i reccomend that you print them out and take notes on them. They are not that detailed either, but what he says is important. Midterm so far was hard. the questions were expected but with unexpected twists. The homework will help prepare you to answer the question but you really need to know your stuff.
Great guy, he really loves chemistry and is passionate about teaching it. However his midterms and final exams ARE HARD. nothing like the practice ones he posts. He is very available out of class and even taught his own dgd(super helpfull). Only choose him as a proff if you REALLY love chemistry otherwise choose another proof because you'll probably fail his course. BTW the normal averages for his midterms are like 42-55% KILLERS. no bellcurve either
DO NOT fall asleep in his class!! His midterms are next level, but hes an excellent prof. He takes his time explaining until you understand, use every analogy possible until you understand lol. Extremely nice prof and beware, he'll remember your face at the end of the semester :P lol
Prof Richeson is a good teacher overall, and seems like a really nice guy. The course has a big work load and the midterms are extremely hard. If you devote all your time to this class you will pass. If you slack off..good luck! I strongly suggest going to all DGD's and classes and paying close attention.
His exams are tough, really tough, and he doesn't curve the marks either. His DGDs were really helpful, much better than his lectures where he stood in front of the class and just talked. He also is really approachable and pretty nice, willing to help and really believes in his students. Study hard and you should do fine.
As a guy, he seems pretty cool, but he's a tough professor. He's very enthusiastic about chemistry, but his exams are pretty rough. I'm not that great at chemistry, but I think they were fair. I definately started to slack off half-way through the semester, and the difference between my midterm mark and my final was -25%.
Bell curved like a madman. Finished with a 60% and 70% on the first two midterms yet ended up with an A+. Don't despair! His old midterms/finals are a gold mine.
He is a really good prof. He made the material understandable and although his exams are really hard (and the averages are super low), he bell curves them so you still get decent marks in the end. As long as you pay attention in class and demonstrate your understanding of the material, youll do well in the class.
Good Prof, really wants to help you learn teh material. His exams are rediculously tough, however if you do his practise ones you will have no problem they are the exact same type of problems just small differences.
You can tell that Prof Richeson enjoys what he does. It's easy to be bored in a subject like Chemistry, but he does his best to be positive as much as possible. Tip: make the textbook your friend because you will get a better mark if you take the time to do the practise problems. Also,he is very approachable and easy to talk to.
Great professor, really loves what he does. However, his midterms and exams always have extremely low averages in comparison to other classes... Look at the integrative examples in the book, and Make up lost marks with the laboratory and homework (For our class, the laboratory, homework and participation marks counted 40% of our total mark).
Very passionate prof, he tries to make you understand but often does very easy examples in class and puts hard one on the midterms/exam. Go to his office hours if you have questions, he is really helpful ! Mastering chem questions are often the type of questions on the midterms so do them, don't just google the answer.Use the textbook !
I would recommend Richeson. He is a really nice guy and wants his students to succeed. He often assumes that his students are much smarter than they are, so the midterms are difficult. However, he will make sure that everyone ends up with a good mark (his section usually has the highest class average). Do your homework go to the DGDs & lectures!
Midterms are hard, final is a bit easier, but don't stress if you don't do well. Bell curved like it was nobody's business, nice guy though... and i think Top Hat Monocle is now working
I honestly thought i might fail... I failed both midterms, but as he repeatedly said his section is always the highest. And this is because he bell curves like a mad man. But hey I'm not complaining I got a B overall. Do well on the mastering and the labs and you should be fine.
He is a good prof and a very nice person, very approchable. He is the only prof I know of that teaches the DGDs himself. His marking is fair, just do all of the textbook questions and you'll be fine on the exams. Everyone says he bell curves but I did not find this to be the case, my mark was not raised at all. Overall very good though.
Nice professor, great explainer and great lecturer. Sorry to say this but he should tweak his teaching style. Instead of just talking for a full hour and 10 minutes, he should get us involved by making us participate. We have short attention spans, and it's hard to keep up 100% of the time. He's a good prof, but meant for grad studies.
Prepare for a rough ride! Although exams are hard, the professor uses questions very similar to past exams so count on that...
Really good professor. His exams were really fair! There are absolutely no surprises on his exams, so make sure you review the lecture slides.
Decent prof, the test are much harder than the material in class.
Hes a great prof to be honest, hes very nice, he leads the DGDs for his class. But, if you got over 90 from high school chemistry(like me),dont expect a 90, because his tests are extremely difficult ( class average around 55%)
An approachable guy. Has hard Exams- not impossible. People claim theyre harder than they are. Just do the practice questions. Attend the dgd if there is anything you don't understand. I suspect he reduced the total for the exam because i had at least 2 wrong answers and still got 99.3%
Even though I ended up with a bad mark, I have to say that he is genuinely a VERY nice human being and is a professer . I would really suggest you do some textbook questions because his midterms are hard, and I found the final to be brutal. Overall good prof, but hard.
He's incredible smart and funny! His lectures are straight forward and he knows his stuff. If you want to survive his class you have to put in a lot of effort and even though you do terribly on the mid terms don't feel discouraged! He teaches chemistry in a way that requires very little memorization.
I really enjoy his teaching, but the workload is higher then other course. I really hate the prelecture assignment.
A professor that definitely knows his stuff. Posts lecture slides online. However he knows his stuff slightly too well; often his solutions skip a couple of steps. Not very clear if you're not a chem wiz. Happy to help during his office hours, and is welcoming of questions during lecture.
My favorite prof at OttawaU. His lectures are always interesting, and he generally loves his subject and his students. But his midterms and finals were excruciating and he doesn't bell curve. Just understand the theory perfectly and do practice problem upon practice problem, because he will make sure the questions are as hard as possible.
Great local guy, ace his midterms and finals by reviewing the old ones. No tricks, no unexpected questions. Great guy, great local guy
Great professor, and great guy overall. He gives tough exams and midterms and the post-lecture assignments are a hassle, but classes are actually enjoyable because it can be easily seen that he genuinely enjoys the subject and teaching it. Definitely my favorite prof at uOttawa thus far, definitely would recommend his course!
This prof def has hard midterms and his assignments have nothing to do with what is done in class or on midterms. But the problems solved in notes and past midterms will be used again, STUDY THAT ! Failed 1st midterm but ended up doing really well on the 2nd midterm and final by studying past midterms. Stay on top of this class. Understanding prof
Very nice professor for this class. Made it enjoyable, even though it is a tough class (a lot of material to know). Make sure to study and you'll be fine.
Gave us impossible midterms then made the final SUPER easy ! a lot of ppl ended up with an A+ ! All and all he's a good dude
He was amazing, his teaching method really worked for me and I appreciated that he really brought his love for science and smile with him everyday! I can't tell you enough how much a a life changing experience taking his class was! If you have the chance to take his class go for it! It is an opportunity you don't want to miss!
The professor is engaging, and isn't boring. BUT he does not bell curve any of the midterms no matter how bad the class did (he was happy when the class average was a 50%), and other professors give lots of opportunities for bonus marks on he exams and work in general. Midterms and exam is impossible, possible if youre a chem genius!
Very good teacher, he genuinely cares. It's the lab portion of the class that is very difficult.
pretty charismatic prof. Very engaging and willing to help kids. first midterm was incredibly hard but final was easy. If you do well on the final, he'll shift your mark towards that
He's awesome
i thought i wouldn't like him based on what i heard but he turned out to be my favourite! His tests aren't easy but if you study and work hard, you'll do well. He's great as a prof!!! take advantage of office hours; he's really helpful.
Honestly loved his class little memorization foucuses on testing you on you solving skills, his previous midterms REALLY HELP he is a great prof amazing! FUNNY! I honestly love him!! SO TAKING HIS 3RD YEAR
He's a nice guy, that's willing to help you out, even in labs, he doesn't judge you, if you have a question for him, even though it's on the homework assignment he'd be willing to help you out. Sometimes busy, but overall loved taking the course with him, and looking forward to taking a third year course with him. Working is a must in this course!
Very nice and sincere guy, but I found his lectures boring and long. The exams were simple, if you can do the practice ones with ease then you'll be fine. Do the online assignments but make sure you understand them fully. Didn't really touch the textbook, it's really just a repeat of grade 12 chemistry.
A good prof who care about students. Lectures are posted online, so if you miss a class you catch up easily.
Richeson is a very good professor. I did his past midterms and aced them. However the final was quite different and I ended up doing poorly on it, dropping my mark substantially. So for midterm just do his past midterms, and to find success on the final you need to really understand how all the concepts relate. All his lectures were in his ppt.
I love this guy forget all comments best teacher ever Super great just hard enough to be a good healthy challenge great guy and I noticed people spell his last name Richardson, Richerson it is actually Richeson
Good & nice prof. you can't not like him Gives many assignments
Wonderful pro who's caring and willing to help with whatever he can. He has a clear love for what he does and always posts his lectures ahead of time. If you work on the practice exams he gives out and stay on top of the hw, you'll do well. I didn't like his slides too much, but that's just me. Overall, great prof :)
PROS: He's very intelligent. Very confident. Posts all midterms (upon request). Midterms are fair. CONS: study everything. You can't expect to see certain questions on his midterms. He only answers his blackboard messages when he wants to. WORST THING: He assigned really bad textbook questions. You have to find your own hmw!
Darrin is very clear about the exams. They are always very similar to the ones he posts online. He tends to read off the slides. However, his slides have all the material that you need to pass the exams. He uses sapling as a homework system. The homework has very generous due dates and grading criteria. 9/10 professor, would recommend.
Prof. Richeson present lectures with easy-to-follow Powerpoint slides, making this class easy to catch up on if a class is missed. Understands the material well and helps students by allowing questions at the beginning of each lecture. Final is simple if you study the key concepts. Overall, would take again.
Wow what an amazing prof. His office hours essentially saved my grade that semester. Lectures are pretty long and uneventful but he does his best. Always there to help you out if you need it, would recommend this prof to anybody. Exam was one of the easier one's for gen chem.
Very good prof. However, he doesn't give many practice problems so I would suggest doing more. A lot of the questions from previous exams were very similar to the ones in the textbook. Other than that, he is very enthusiastic and is always there to help. Would definitely recommend to anyone!
He is a good prof. Lectures are easy to follow and he says what he expects of you upfront. The class itself is like a review of grade 11 and 12 material so it's not too bad. His past midterms and finals are key to passing the course.
Prof Richeson is a very nice man and truly loves chemistry. The midterms were fair and you should study off of both sapling and the old midterms and go to his office hours if you need any help. The final was harder and there was some curveballs and it was more difficult to get the full points, so make sure to study hard.
Very good Professor, I Recommend taking him for CHM 1311, The material covered in the course was a mainly a review from grade 12 and 11. His Office hours are great, he's always there for you when you need any help. I guess Test's and Exams were fair game. I Recommend this professor.
Richeson is one of the better general Chem profs. His course lectures are all on Blackboard but you should attend his classes since his explanations are quite good. His exams always resemble previous years and he does post past midterms/finals. His final was harder than expected so be sure to know your material which is mostly gr. 12 chem review.
This course is pretty much like a grade 12 chemistry class, but with some new stuff. If you study and practice, it's pretty easy to do well. He speaks kind of quickly though, and his slides are not very detailed. His midterms were easier than the final, so be well prepared for that. Be sure to do the practice midterm/finals that he posts.
So nice, approachable and friendly! Fair exams, and expectations are clear. Practice problems provided, but no slides (all on chalk board). He is really excited and hyper with lots of diagrams to draw though. Talks like he just did a hit of speed so you better write fast. Book is helpful - you spend more time trying to copy drawings than listening
Good teacher for an intro to chem, I wouldn't say he's exceptional but he knows his stuff. Moreover he can definitely teach it in an effective way as long as you put a good foot forward.
Good prof. He is engaging. He focuses a lot on the math and his tests were mainly calculations. Played short, interesting videos throughout the lecture to drive the material home. He was a nice guy. (The labs for this class are a whole different story though :/ but he was nothing to do with them).
Solid choice. He is funny and did a great job of explaining things. Midterms were very fair. Exam got me a little by surprise however and brought my grade down.
The amount of home work was borderline ridiculous. There was at least one assignment per week, often 3 or even 4. The pre-lecture assignments took a lot of time, and were an exercise in frustration. The second lecture each week was basically a homework help session rather than an actual class. Amazing office hours!! Really good in small groups!
Prof Richeson is an incredibly nice guy who is clearly very passionate about chemistry. Unfortunately, he makes a pretty heavy assumption that everything that is covered in his course is simply review of high school chem; as a result he tends to skim over course content. Genuinely likes interacting with his students though!
All-around great professor. Lectures can be tough because he uses the board and talks at the same time, so the notes are in short form and hard to review. That being said, his expectations are clear and his midterms/exam are extremely straightforward. Super approachable after/outside class and makes an effort to learn names. One of the best.
Absolutely loved this prof! His lectures are interesting and very engagaing! He's funny and gets straight to the point! By far my favourite prof so far. He is always available ready to help and quickly responds to email! Would recommend him to anyone
Richenson was an amazing prof. Although his lectures may be slightly dry and fast-paced, he spends lots of class time reviewing and giving full solutions to questions that the class had particular difficulties with. He gives many chances to get marks (quizzes, online homework and tests) and it's easy to get a great grade as long as you put in time!
Richeson was a really good prof. His gave a lot of homework and lots of inclass/online assessments, but if you pay attention in class and study lots, you'll do fine. He talks quickly, but he repeats what's important and his powerpoints have examples that really help you understand how to do the questions.
Good prof and class, clear explanations of difficult concepts. A tad lost at times, but makes up for it with enthusiasm and humour. Would take again!
Great guy, super easy to get your question answered. Highly recommend seeing him during his office hours for anything, he gave direct explanations and answers to tough WileyPlus questions.
good pro
Switched Out. The professor does not answer any of your direct email. As for class He likes to teach a whole chapter in one class then do examples the next class on the chapter and it alternates. There is too much information to process in one class. There's not exam but online assign and in class worth 10% each. His exam is 6 question. Really hard
He makes the most effort to help you out of all the professors I've had in 2 years of university. There are lots of little tasks throughout the semester, and if you devote a little time to them on a regular basis it really helps your understanding of how to actually solve problems. Great class, thanks to a great prof
Lots of assignments, 2 assignments due every week, but it's all good because Richyboi is a gem. "The class average for the test was a 36 percent, that's actually exactly what I was expecting, infact it's 2 percent higher than last year's average, which goes to show that my teaching method is working"
The prof seems nice and caring. His in class assessments are very easy compared to the online assessments or the final which require a lot of time and effort, and they sometime involve parts that are not covered in the lectures.
Absolute legend of a prof. Take this guy over all other chem profs, you won't regret.
He is a good guy but he gives you hours of online homework which is graded so you have to complete them except it does nothing to prepare you for the in class quizzes or exam so you end up having to also do a ton of textbook questions
Online quizzes are out of 6 marks and worth 10% each. Online homework barely relevant to lectures. Doesn't prepare you for the final. Exam was brutal. Practice previous exams and midterms of his though- might help. Seems like a good guy but overall horrible class and would never take his class again.
A straight up terrible professor. The examples he showed in class were super easy but his online assessments were insanely hard. They count for 7.5% each and they're out of just 6 marks. The exam was insanely hard, probably the hardest exam I've ever written. Someone asked him a question at the end of the exam and he just laughed at the student.
very nice profesoor
Lecture powerpoint were very basic reviews of the content you're supposed to know. Wiley Plus OLA's were terrible and hard to pass. No midterms but the assignments made you with there were midterms. Final was terrible and didn't reflect study material. Assumes that if you don't attend office hours you aren't working hard for your mark.
Although there are no midterms, he uses WileyPlus, that is very difficult. However, you will end up getting a better mark doing WileyPlus than you would on midterms, which will allow you to get a decent grade in the course. The Final Exam however was very challenging to complete.
makes his lectures interesting. he's very enthusiastic and you can tell he cares what he is teaching and that he wants his students to learn.
Very nice person and he is very nice at explaining. Go to his office hours if you have something that you don't understand. He is always helping students and always tries to meet ends to make grading as fair as possible. Great professor. Make sure you listen to his slides, as they are well constructed and explain everything on the future tests.
ICA is basically easier than midterms sooo it works out. I would try to watch videos on acids and bases and buffers cause he does a poor job explaining. He does not care for memorization of ions and compounds etc. Great teacher and if u do previous exams, they are basically identical
The class was fine, really just a normal class. I personally didn't find lectures to be too useful so I only attended a handful of them but review the slides and problems at home and you'll be fine. Do the work, study for the quizzes and final using past examples and this class is an easy A.
This prof is overall a really nice guy and I really clicked with his teaching style. He posts quite a bit of online homework but as long as you dont slack its pretty much free marks, and great practice. Has office hours and they really help so go see him. In class assessments arent bad, just one night of studying should do it. Also study the exam!
He's a really funny prof, and seems to care about his students. He doesn't have midterms (that's a bonus)! Decent lectures, I got by his work by studying off of the ICA's and online homework assignments. STUDY THE PAST FINAL EXAMS, the final exam questions are almost exactly the same, and you're guaranteed a good mark. Good luck!!
He was not the best prof, he gave a lot of work that did not totally correspond with his slides. Most of his in class examples were easier then his tests and exam. You pretty much have to teach yourself.
Although the homework was sometimes annoying & irrelevant to the stuff taught in class, it's easy marks and if you fail a couple they don't affect your grade too much. Study past ICAs and exams and you will get a good grade in his class. He wants you to do good and is SUPER understanding if you email him, he even exempted me from 2 things
Richeson is clearly a good guy but would not recommend this class. There is a ridiculous amount of homework, assignments and tests. 40 pre lecture questions weekly online, 3 online tests, 5 in class tests, and weekly online homework. No midterms. Spent more time working on his assignments than my other 4 classes combined.
Richeson is a good guy but the workload is too much. The key is to study past ICA's and finals that he posts because the questions are usually identical or very similar. Do the work to get the free points and you will do fine in the class.
Professor Richeson is a good guy and as far as introductory courses go, this one can be tough because the workload is high. However, if you go over the main topics and know how to solve basic problems you will do just fine as the tests are fair.
I hate chem and this prof didn't teach it well at all. The only reason I did okay was because of the labs and the final exam version i was given just happened to be the exact same as the final exam review, which i memorized.
Was the last straw that made me change programs and career paths.
Richeson is a nice and caring teacher when ask him for help. However, with the online semester, I found him difficult regarding the constant, unannounced assignments on WileyPlus, and his lack of transparency in regards to specific content on the final. Where other teachers posted lists of what to expect, DR told us to just "study everything".
I would not say he is the nicest professor I met, but he is definetely a qualified and responsible professor! His lecture are explicit, and really helps students to solve difficult problems during office hour. Quiz are faily simple, basically give away, but be aware of the IDA and final. Being able to do the post lecture problem is important!
Solid choice for a chem prof. He actually shows students how to solve problems, rather than teaching pointless theory. Some ideas not covered in class but he helps students with that in his office hours. Stay on top of the lectures, do all the homework, and attend office hours. Quizzes, in-depth assessments (mini midterms) and final were fair.
Course has a TON of work. At least 2 assignments every week, and the labs took at least 20 hours each. The prof is accessible outside of class, and I HIGHLY recommend going to office hours as he makes an effort to go over everyone's questions. He was vague over the final exam content, however, while other profs gave an outline of expected problems.
Darrin Richeson was a very poor professor, he didn't teach anything all semester and would even grade you on things from other courses. He would help outside of class and even when he did help in class it was mostly long or very complicated and he wouldn't explain it. I had to teach myself everything in the course
He answers to emails and does his best to explain the material during office hours. Make sure to understand how to do the homework and past midterms for the exam since he copy pastes some of those questions and brings them on the final. Final is not hard if you know your stuff but you do have to be careful with the MCQs on the quizzes.
Prof Darrin Richeson is a very good prof in general. He really helps student to solve difficult problems patiently during office hours. Quiz and IDA are fair, only requires you to understand the basic idea. His lecture doesn't only focus on the concepts that is related to the test, but also extends to a level beyond. Definitely recommend him!
Professor Richeson's class had quite a bit of work involved but this work was great for preparing you for tests/quizzes/exams. He also goes over past assessment questions during the lecture. His office hours are great as he is very knowledgeable on chemistry and will help with homework. The lab portion is arduous but the marking is fair.
Dr Richeson seems very nice but he teaches quite fast and assigns a lot of work. Every chapter has pre- and post-lecture questions that are graded. I found his tests to be really challenging because the questions seemed more advanced than examples done in class.
Dr. Richeson is a very kind and caring prof, honestly, I did not have problems with him other than having way too many evaluations in this class. However, the choice of the platform he used (Wiley Plus) was literally the worst site I have ever used. Everything is auto-graded and you need to have the most precise answers, making it tough to do well.
He is a great speaker which helps his students clearly understand the material. The assignments/ homework he gives is great practice and preparation for exams and quizzes. He grades based off a lot of different work, so if you do bad on one thing your grade wont be that impacted. Super helpful, and an overall great prof!!
Professor Richeson was great. His email replies are direct and when he explains lecture stuff he explains them clear and thoroughly. But, the class is hard because of the content, so definitely review lectures and do many problems to understand them. I would take him as a professor again.
He really loves what he teaches which makes him a really good professor. His PowerPoints are helpful and midterms and finals are actually based off the other work that he has given. If you make sure to do the work you should be fine!
He's a really nice guy who genuinely cares that you pass! His lectures went quickly. Assessments were tough, but not unreasonable. They were also similar to the practice exams/quizzes! There were no midterms, which I liked. It was really tough for me but chem was never my strong suit even in high school. Go to his office hours!
He makes sense during his lectures and always excited to teach but he is so hard to follow, writing is illegible and his tests are not what he teaches...
Assigns two assignments per week. He is a caring teacher that cares about his students doing well in the course. No midterms, final exam that is really close to past exams, and exam review. However, I would've appreciated it more if he would take up more challenging problems that were more similar to those of assessments (he takes up easy ones).
great professor overall, genuinely cares about his students and is extremely fair, quizzes/exams were mostly like practice ones given in class. Funny guy as well
lectures were fine but questions on the platform used for midterms (wiley plus) was not accurate to problems covered in class
I didn't find attendance necessary as he reads from slides and uploads problems done during lectures to brightspace. I wish he did more challenging problems in class. GO TO OFFICE HOURS - very helpful and questions answered clearly. No midterms and the final exam was very similar to past exams and his exam review. Wants students to succeed.
He provides great explanations for each concept he teaches and I loved how his classes were formatted. One class was for theory and the other class was for solving problems. His midterms are online and quite easy. The final was fair since the prof told us the subject of each question. He grades fairly.
Loved Prof. Richeson. He always made sure we understood all the concepts at the end of his lectures, and always dismissed class early! He uses the textbook but he provides a free way to access it! Genuinely nice guy but you'll have to study everything, even what he swears will not show up on the midterms, because it will!
AMAZING PROF, when you ask question he would do the question himself, tell you exactly where you go wrong and really help you understand the question. I found his lectures overall not too helpful, his exam is VERY similar to old exams overall great teacher. I would definitely recommend if you want to have a responsive teacher
GOAT.
Make sure to read the book, attend the lectures, and do the homework as soon as possible, or else you'll fall behind. If you put in the work, you will definitely make it in this class. Just beware because the final exam is much more difficult than the quizzes he gives throughout the year, and it is a significant portion of your grade.
I took him fall 2020. I would take him again. 10% online homework. 5% ORION pre-lecture quizzes. 2 10% assignments. 5 easy quizzes worth 25% total. 1 bonus assessment 5%. Final 40%. Be organized and know when things are due. Go to his office hours. He is good at explaining. He is caring too and wants people to do well. It was like high school chem.
Zero use of textbook, attendance is essentially mandatory and you're screwed if you miss and don't have someone to help you. Always looked forwards to going to his class, but to truly enjoy his course you need to have an interest and good background knowledge. To the BPS students this may be more of a challenge than to the chemistry students.
richeson cares about his students' success and is very helpful outside of class. engaging lecturer, and cares more that you understand how to apply the content rather than memorization. would definitely recommend :)
Professor is great at explaining concepts, but his teaching style and exams don't always align. Attend lectures and use Unstuck AI for additional practice to do well in the class.
Quizzes...
Flies through lectures and does 70000 practice problems which nobody understands which he doesn't explain. Get ready to do everything on your own
Dr Richeson does not prepare his student for his quizzes, assignments and finals.The quizzes have questions most students have not seen before and expects us to finish with a 15 min time limit. His lectures are all theory and there is one class a week with practice problems yet he does not go through the step effectively which create confusion.
Avoid taking this professor if you are not perfect in Chemistry. There are quizzes each worth 5% of your grade with only two questions each. So one question determines 2.5% of your entire grade. If you don't get the question perfect, you are either getting 0 or only 1 mark no matter how small the mistake was or how much work you showed.
Grade is weighted based on a few things but there is a good amount of homework attached. Quizzes are every other week and are marked kinda strict. Not recommend for those with no chemistry background. But if you are fine with chemistry and willing to work, it's not too bad. Can probably explain some things better tho.
His teaching methods are fine but there are about 3-4 assignments per week, his assignments are all online through an external site which is autograded and is sometimes bugged and marks you wrong even though its right. Exam is by far more difficult than any problem ever faced in class or assignments. He did not prepare us for the exam at all.
Many quizzes but if you study (and do study because those things add up) then you will do good I aced most of them with no issues. Same for the IDAs. Finals are almost 1 to 1 as previous ones you can find online with different elements/numbers. Many people who take this class just do not put in any effort and then complain.
I like him as a person, as a prof he wasn't amazing. He was a really understanding guy but his lectures were not it. They were all mostly theory so it would confuse the students. The quizzes weren't too bad but the exam was horrible. He didn't prepare us at all, put questions no one had ever seen before and told us to study the complete opposite
The professor was nice and he taught well but the way he set up the course for students was awful. so many assignments and the in-person quizzes weren't the fairest, also we had 3 online tests worth 10 percent each but they were ai graded and the avg would be in the 50s and 60s for them. Avoid taking this prof
Okay im going to be honest here. professor is amazing and truly cares about chemistry and his students. but the way the course was set up is where everything went bad. The quizzes werent too awful but 15 minutes is not enough. The online pearson was ai graded and so bad worth so much of your grade. exam so terrible smth i've never seen ever before.
An amazing professor you can tell he cares for the students and chemistry. HOWEVER Pearson ended ppl and made me cry at night, don't be fooled that the midterms are online because Pearson has the most weirdest questions ready, the exam was as hard because no one had experience writing midterm in person other than the 15min quizzes.
Very nice, funny, approachable guy. Responsive to emails. You can tell that he truly cares about his students. However, I did have a few issues. The practice questions done in class hardly prepared us for the questions on quizzes or exams (much less the final exam). Overall, did not particularly like the way the course was set up.
a very average professor, which is sometimes all you need - no midterms so study for the final!
One day for lectures (he talked very quickly) and one day for calculations (much easier than quizzes/IDA/exam and writing was messy. IDAs are difficult, but similar questions can be found online or in the textbook (especially the cumulative section). Prioritize previous exams to prep for the exam! But overall, the professor is a caring guy.
Really nice guy, I wouldn't say he's a good teacher though. I found his lectures hard to understand and the quizzes and exam were ridiculously hard. I would recommend going to office hours so that he gets to know you. I should have failed this class, but he curved the grades A LOT.
Prof Richeson is a very charismatic prof who speaks clearly and is easy to understand. He posts all of his powerpoints on brightspace to make it easy to review the material. The grading scheme is also very favorable for students. Would take again for further chemistry courses.
Was a good prof and I enjoyed the course. Evaluations felt fair. He always had a good attitude towards his student.
He is very enthusiastic and acts like everything is easy when really it isn't. The titration questions were super hard compared to other profs, and the slides don't really show how to solve them apart from rushing through random theory stuff. His practice questions took hours upon retrying and the ai explanations not helping much.
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Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
35%
Textbook Required
54%
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