Excellent teacher, love his accent!

The best chemistry teacher I have ever had. His exams force you to think.

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power point rocks

This guy is awesome, he's so dedicated to teaching the class.

His enthusiasm towards organic chemistry was contagious. I enjoyed his class.

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Best prof on campus!

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He Made Chemistry Worth Going To!

Very fair and has great sense of humor!

powerpoint slides, very good understanding, very interesting

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Best Chem prof I've had!

great stories & hilerious

Hot accent!

great prof...but i still hate chem

interesting class but still not to fond of chem ...

Very helpful, very easy to understand, uses the same exam format each time, you always know what to study!

Great professor. Funny, helpful, and accomplished the greatest task of all - making Org Chem understandable. Exams are all very similar, making studying easier.

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wonderful professor who knows the material he is teaching, fair exams, was one of my favorite classes during my first year.

Ed, not only are you an amazing professor and a wonderful person, but I am one girl at least who finds you incredibly attractive. And yes, your accent is quite hot too.

excellent professor

Dr. Blackburn was my chem prof in 1998... he was the best then and he is still the best now... does he still muss his hair up all class and lecture in his socks? Enjoy him, he is the best you will ever have... and go to the help session he has right

i wouldnt be passing this class if it werent for his help sessions. i think he's a great prof but somtimes gets a little carried away because he loves chemistry so much. hes a keeper.

As for the last comment, if you don't like his French, why don't you take his English version of the course? Or have you failed out already?

FREAKIN' final exam!!!

Probably the most entertaining professor I've had. The final exam was... well... words cannot describe how difficult I found it

One of my favorite lecturers! Entertaining, enthusiastic, went out of his way to answer questions and provided many hours of help sessions outside of class. He provides numerous past exams to help you do well.

AMAZING PROFESSOR!

I can't explain about the final(KILLER)!!!

cool hair

Great Prof! Holds regular review sessions, easy exams, very helpful when approached outside of class time.

Though I hate organic chem,Dr Blackburn was a good lecturer, doing his best to help students. Any questions asked in class or help sessions were andswered well. Rarely digresses. 163 is well organized for flow of concepts, he presented it well. Funny guy.

VERY helpful You just need to ASK for it

has a coursepack, great guy--->pretty easy

Very nice prof. I enjoyed this course b/c of him. Very easy exams, nothing out of left field. Don't read the text, his coursepack is great if you go to class and his review sessions. Don't do problem sets, only his exams. Got A+ in each.

Dr. Blackburn is excellent. He made me want to sit in the front row every day and pay very close attention. I love this prof!

He has the best notes ever made in the history of chem teachers. He really knows everything, and is pretty good about teaching it. He's got a very witty sense of humour and really enjoys telling stories throughout the course.

He was an excellent professor. The exams aren't any easier, but his superb teaching style makes the lectures interesting and certainly HELP prepare you for the exam.

dr blackburn is the best prof. really funny, always willing to answer questions, excellent notes.

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He's a really great teacher. Very funny and entertaining. If you take 161 with him, make sure you continue on with 163 with him.

He is great prof, i like him a lot, very approachable. I found that his class is not fun but not boring. His exams are not easy, esp final. My class Ave was low for final, like 40%. I would recommend this prof, study lots from his notes n u will do fine. Don't bother to read the text book.

Dr. Blackburn is the best prof I've ever had. He shows interest in teaching and cares about whether his students are learning well in class. He is also passionate about Science.

AWESOME GUY!!! Super funny but hard exams....you WILL have to understand all concepts presented in class to do well but it's worth it in the end.

excellent prof

Very interesting classes, albeit material is difficult. Sometimes unclear as to where he is going with the notes, but often gives hints. Midterms are a joke compared to the final. Overall funny and interesting!

hard exams... But really a good person =)

A good prof for a hard subject. Lectures can be overwhelming but review sessions help. Do all the old exams on his website the night before and you're good to go.

chem 161 is not an easy course, a lot of mechanism and transformation need to be memorized. And I personally think his notes isn't well helpful; however,his exams are similar enough!! If you do all of his old exams, u should be fine.

Dr. Blackburn is a good prof stuck with a horrible course. If you dont need this course DONT TAKE IT. I hate the set up of his note package, but the notes are pretty good. tests get worse and worse, but old exams are very helpful

His lecture style worked for me. His packaged notes are excellent. There is a huge disparity between tests and lectures though. The final will be a big shock after relatively easy midterms if you don't do and understand the practice exams- side information (like polarimeters) isn't tested on.

Blackburn is an awesome prof. His notes might not be great because you have to listen in class in order to be able to follow it. But his lectures are very interesting and he's VERY willing to help you anytime. Attend his help sessions, it's worth it. His practice exams are worth spending time on

really good prof

Holy Jebus that was a difficult class. He made it interesting, but the way he presented the material was confusing at times. He had pretty good help sessions every week, but the in-class was a blur. He's one of the best though - I'd take 163 with him if I had to take 163 :P

Toguh prof but very helpful and extremely good at explaining tough concepts. go to the help sessions and do the practice midterms n finals online! that's the only way to survive. He made organic chem my best subject cuz he was really interested in what he taught and made the challenging course fun!

Good prof. Explains concepts well, and tells plenty of fun stories. Only con with this guy is his exams are IMPOSSIBLE if you miss out on ANY concepts! I reccomend Blackburn if you actually want to learn something about organic chemistry!

An excellent prof. Very approachable and more than willing to help. Cool accent too! Exams not at all hard. Get him if you can.

Good guy, but the exams got harder every time. He has lost of sample exams to practice on, so if you put in the time, you'll come out ok. He's arguably the most organized prof I've had and the course pack worked for me, but it helps if you add notes. He gives you a bit of a heads up for biochem too.

great prof, took this during the spring session (and i totally recommend doin that if u can) and he was sooo helpful, made the class fun, very organized too!! (by the way if u do it during the spring there's no practical lab exam!!!)

Great notes and for the most part I was able to stay interested in his lectures. Tests get harder as you go, make sure to use lots of practice exams and go to the help sessions.

Great prof. Very clear and well spoken and understands all the concepts well. Beware, if you listen to him, he will tell you what you need to know for the final. Use the turtorials and he'll be more than happy to explain things to you. He makes the best situation out of a very tough class.

I didn't like his teaching style at all!HARD course, terrible lab and boring material!

I don't know why everyone is saying that 161 has been difficult. I thought that it was a great course, and that Dr. Blackburn was a great prof. Very funny, organized and makes organic enjoyable. Everyone thinks organic chemistry is horrible at first, but it isn't the prof.

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amazing prof! very approachable, just make sure you LISTEN to him in class because he wants you to put down your own notes while he is talking, though the underlying points are in the notes, you need to add more to the coursepack to understand it. exams aren't hard, you just need to put considerable effort doing practice exams and go to seminars

Dr. Blackburn was an excellent teacher. If you go to the help sessions, you're sure do ace the exams.

Tough course but Dr. Blackburn is a good prof. He draws your attention to the important stuff. (Protenation is ALWAYS the first step!) Make sure to add your own notes to the package that you buy. Also, if he offers a help-session I'd definitely recommend it. He goes through examples from old tests and works them through with you.

In the 161 class, he's really got the teaching thing going, but for the 101 class, i'm not sure i found the use.

He is a really good teacher

He's a good teacher, but I definately recommend buying the textbook.

Good prof, I took this class in the spring and although it was A LOT of information Blackburn made it doable. you have to stay on top of it and you need to do the questions he recommends but if you go to the help session ans ask questions you'll do fine.

This is a tough class to begin with. Suggest not to take until second year because he goes extremely fast and you don't want to fall behind.

good teacher, funny, ocassionaly starts teaching in french, material is hard to start with but he helps to make it more understandable, midterms aren't bad especially if you do the practice one on the website becasue they are very similar and will give you a good idea of what to expect on the test, don't bother buying the textbook he doesn't use it

Notes are terrible textbook in necessary to understand although he says it isn't. Spends too much time telling wierd stories that don't apply to chemistry. Huge sports fan.

Exams are not hard, but you are always pressed for time. Do not waste time on questions you are not sure about. Know all the reactions givien in the notes, he always asks those on exams. The lab final is not hard, but you must know all your labs really well. Prepare to cram!

Some have said he is unapproachable. True, in class he is a bit intimidating, which discourages people from asking questions. However, running help sessions on his own time every week, plus an extra 2 hour help session before the final more than makes up for this. If you look in the course package, he even gives you his home phone number!

Amazing prof but the material is extremely hard. Attend all classes and ask questions. Go to help sessions if needed he explains alot more indepth at these. Would recommend taking it second year and also take chem 101 before this class to get a footing on what will be taught.

also took 163 with him. He is AWESOME... make sure you look at his past exams... they are very helpful.

He is the best! Contrary to some of the previous posts, he is very clear, knows his stuff and as long as you look at past exams, you should do fine. He is always willing to help outside class and very approachable. Definitely take his class if possible.

Extremely nice guy and very helpful outside of class. First prof I've had that goes out of his way to hold review sessions to help students. Lectures themselves however, are SUPER boring so prepare yourself by drinking LOT'S of coffee so you don't fall asleep during class. Old exams are great but Notes are way too general. Textbook is mandatory.

I attended pretty much every class and I wish I had just stayed at home, read the text book and done his practice exams. Memorising his slides isn't the way to go! His lectures were difficult to follow... basically watching him do the questions without a lot of explanation to why he chose the synthesis path he did and why others wouldn't work.

His class always presented to be a challenge for one to keep his eyes open. Good thing Dr Blackburn has a sense of humour. Nevertheless, pay attention when he starts solving problems, specially the harder ones. He likes putting them on exams.

I had Blackburn for spring ochem. It was supposed to be really hard and I was scared but he explained things pretty well and had help sessions everyday before his class that everyone would attend and he would answer everyones questions. His exams are exactly like his practice ones! Pretty funny guy too but the class is quite boring...

i had him for 161, in french, then 263 in english and i thought he was awesome. show up so that you can hear what's gonna be on exams, and he explains mechanisms super clearly (step by step unlike taube does). for his exams, just go online and do his old ones, the french ones, and the spring ones and you'll do fine

awesome and funny =)

I took his oChem classes in the fall of 1998... and I still remember what he taught. Excellent teacher!

Blackburn is excellent and a very fair professor. He is funny :) and I wished I also had him for chem 261. He ensures his students do well by providing helpful notes and good exams with no surprises. Make sure to do practice exams for an idea of his exam format.

Best chem prof I have had so far! He makes things to clear and easy to understand he also puts in the extra effort to provide help sessions every wednesday night

Great Prof- makes the notes easy to follow, easy to understand, and helps you to get a decent mark if you go to class. Write your own notes on the notes he provides- comprehension is key. Textbook wasn't really useful, but i had it from 261 so it wasnt too bad- don't go out and buy it.

Great Great Prof. Keeps your interest in class and is fair with exams. You have to go to class though. he adds a lot to his notes. He is also very helpful in review sessions before the exams (tells you whats on it). He also drops hints in class which you should write down or remember. Fair Exams as long as you study/memorize reactions.

Great Prof. Just study and do his past exams and problem sets. Funny guy, a lot of people didn't like him because they are either lazy or expected the prof to baby feed them. Goes out of his time to have weekly review sessions. All around great guy

Blackburn is so funny but the material can be a bit dry. His exams are fair, do his online/past exams, they are super helpful! (He posts up 9 of each exam!) He has help sessions every week, he is dedicated to helping you in every way. People who find him hard and unreasonable because they are TOO LAZY to review and do the practise exams!

I absolutely hated chem 261, but Blackburn made me like ochem A LOT more. Make sure you do ALL the practise exams, the midterms and finals have extremely similar questions.

his notes were good at times but i found his notes were full of not tested info. I found it was hard to follow what we had to know for exams but i should of looked at the practice exams for that. Memorize mechanisms! inside out! Unfortunately, he didn't have enough office hour times. but he was helpful when i went to ask questions.

I took spring chem 261/263 with Dr. Blackburn and for a seemingly 'intense' course, it was actually okay. His practice exams are very similar to his actual exams, so it is beneficial to do them because some questions are repeated. He also runs help sessions every morning that can be helpful if you don't understand something. Enjoyable class.

Blackburn is awesome!! Tests were hard but fair. If you practiced his past finals/questions, you'll do fine. I hated ochem with a passion, and I still do, but that had nothing to do with Blackburn. He taught it well but it's one of those courses if you don't get it, you won't get it. So make sure you go ask him questions, he'll be happy to help!

I love organic chemistry. Go to class, listen, he tells you what you need to know and what you dont... listen to his explanations and review them on your own. Then memorize the reactions and the mechanisms...and do ALL HIS PRACTICE!! his exam rxns are very similar to the practice. his exam mechanisms are hinted in class = win.Easy class and easy A

A+ in his 263 class. I am not sure if going to lectures benefitted me but went anyways.. he has a great sense of humor and some good stories. Succeeding on exams is easy if you do old practice exams from fall/winter, spring, and french. many times. there are 9 practice exams for each test you write.

Blackburn is a little bit boring in lectures, but he's very good at explaining. Exams are very fair. He also runs weekly help sessions. Great prof.

He has notes posted online that you can print, or you can buy the packaged version at the bookstore for $20. The notes aren't straightforward... you HAVE to make your own notes on the side. He's decent. His tests were fair. Just do the practice questions and the practice exams over and over again. Don't bother with the textbook at all and save $$

Excellent prof. He goes through his notes very slow and clear. His tests are very fair as long as you study. Mechanisms were the hardest part of this course, but he gives you a chart and a list of all of them which is super nice. His tests are exactly like his practice tests, so DO THEM ALL and understand them.

Pay attention in class and do all the practice exams for the midterms, try your BEST to understand most of it, then memorize. Friend and I aced the midterms with this method. HOWEVER, for the final, understand everything, memorizing will not help you much. Doesn't really go in order of labs. Overall, pretty great prof.

Excellent professor. Although lectures are a bit boring and it is sometimes difficult to follow what he is saying, all you have to do to prepare for the exams is complete the numerous practice exams he posts. The two midterms are fair to easy, and although the final is slightly more difficult due to the mechanisms, it is still very fair.

I was terrified going into CHEM 261 but Dr.Blackburn was a very interesting and overall amazing professor. His diction had the class cracking up. He had help sessions on Wednesday which I recommend going to since he tells you what you need to know and what to ignore. The exams were VERY similar to his practice.Do them and you are golden.RECOMMEND!

Amazing Prof!!! His lecture class was awesome, I was never bored. Do all of the practice problems and practice tests.These will help you during exams! Labs aren't super easy but they are fair. His tests are quite easy, but you have to put in the work. He is funny and made me love ochem! So pumped to have him for 263!:)

very dry class but he's a nice guy and throws in jokes here and there. as long as you do the practice exams and understand it you should be ok. exams are almost identical to the practice. he's not always really clear when explaining though.

I probably would've given him a lower rating immediately after I took the course, but after being partway through 263 with a different teacher and having the opportunity to see Blackburn's notes compared to what I have, he's amazing. His notes are simple, easy to understand, only give you what you need and are just overall great. Best O Chem prof!

He totally has the same voice as Michael Caine. Chem 261 is a tough class, if I were to take another Chem course I would go for one of his courses.