2.3
Quality4.1
DifficultyN/A
Would Retake86
ReviewsN/A
Would Retake
86
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
7
4
19
3
8
2
31
1
21
What Students Say
“Voigtman is the type of professor that's a good person, but knows too much to be a good professor”
CHEM111 - 3.0 rating“It's obvious that he knows a lot about chemistry”
CHEM111 - 3.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
17%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.27 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEM315
5.0
(2)CHEM111112
5.0
(1)CHEM121H
3.5
(8)111
2.5
(4)CHEM112
2.5
(24)Difficulty by Course
CONFUSION
5.0
A112
5.0
CHEM111
4.2
CHEM121H
4.1
CHEM112
4.1
Reviews (86)
Fourier transforms, I don't think so.
No Comments
BORING!
he is hard. unfair and makes you feel stupid when you ask a question!
Professor Voigtman is willing to give up a lot of his time for extra help sessions, holding at least four a week. He was reasonable with work, often extending OWLS( as long as the students dont start failing) overall, a good guy who tries real hard.
Really great teacher, Better than a lot of the old guys who teach other chem 111 classes. Dynamic and fun, but does make you feel stupid for asking questions
EXTREMELY boring, goes wayyy too fast for intro chem. this guy is ridiculously smart but a very bad teacher. good if you like to teach yourself the topics.
If you think Chemistry is boring, he will be boring too. He teaches Chemistry, and he teaches it well. If you're timid he may not seem very approachable, but he is nice and will help you out if you ask him to. He seems to want students to do well.
very ahrd to learn in lectures
He teaches well if you don't space out for two seconds, he'll spend very little time on important topics, and if you ask a question he'll make you feel really stupid.
I hate this class, way to hard for an intro chem class. dont take it- exams suck!
Do not take Voigtman at all costs. His exams are very hard and are not what is taught in class or done as homework on OWLs. He also doesnt care about a students well being. If you want a decent grade in Chemisty 111 DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS!!!
Horrible teacher. Doesnt teach anything in class and does NOT respond well to questions. Makes you feel inadequate and stupid. VERY BAD.
Most horrible chem prof that i've ever had. He is really unfair. When you point out that he made a mistake on the grades, he makes you feel stupid and doesn't change it. Don't ever take chem with him.
voightman was one of the hardet profs i've had. his tests are ridiculous, and his personality is as dry as a cracker. avoid if possible
Exams are never on what is taught in class or on OWL, and are also rediculously hard. Entire class is currently failing, his response is try harder.
No Comments
Ed was one of the hardest teachers i have had but it was for good reason. he wanted people to work for the grade they deserved by making tests challenging but at the end of the semester gave generous breaks to those who were still in the class. the key is to pay attenttention in his lectures and do all the OWLS and you should do well.
Great guy, but TERRIBLE with exams. gives more help sessions than you can imagine, but they do nothing and everyone fails anyways. lectures are somewhat interesting, but become boring half way thru the year when you realize they will do NOTHING when the exam comes around. not sure yet what the final grade will look like
A very tough professor. Exams were very hard. Lectures were rapid. Special projects were very simple. Though he is tough he is very passionate about teaching and chemistry. He teaches as if everyone knows as much as he does about chemistry. I do feel that I learned a lot in class and ended up with a fair grade.
failed three out of the four tests given but somehow with the ridiculous scaling got an A, class was extremely boring bc the material taught had nothing to do with the exams. he seems to smart to teach this level, may be a nice guy but would never recommend him
horrible.
he's tough, goes through slides too quickly but puts notes online. Class averages on exams are usually in the low 60s which makes me think he should reconsider the material on the exams, he just says "try harder" or "if you're failing you should seriously consider dropping this class". goodluck! DO NOT TAKE THIS FOR A GEN ED! only if its for major
Hard exams!
very poor at explaining material
he is not a good guy. not helpfull at all and just wants to make taking the class a bad experience for the students.
HW material not covered in class. Test material not covered in class. Disregards the fact that majority of students are failing. Insists that students are incompetent. Goes through lecture quickly without explanation of concepts. Avoid his classes at all costs. Period.
Very condescending. Assumes you will remember everything, and if you ask to go over something from 111 or an earlier section/chapter he will make you feel like an idiot and not go over it. Tests are very difficult, loves to throw curve balls. When time is up more than 70% of class is still taking the exam. Gives over 200 hw modules per semester.
Barely learned. Only went to class because I thought if I went, I might learn something. But I didn't.
I had taken Chem with Sommerfeld before and thought this guy would be better. Sure he seems a bit more "hip" but when it came down to it, this guy is just as bad! No clarity and no interest in the student. He gave us one extra credit assignment (worth 10pts on exam) and only 1 day to do 5 massively complex problems.
rushes through class material, does not seem very interested in helping individual students. I kept going to class with the hopes that I would somehow glean informations-however would have probably had better luck trying to learn chem from an illiterate chimpanzee. when I didnt study for exam i did better than i did on the ones i studied for. AVOID
Awful teacher, didn't care that he rushed through everything, most people failed exams so he had to scale..by like 5 points. I would never take another class with him. Made chemistry miserable.
He may make you feel retarded and expect you to remember everything, but if you manage a passing exam avg. you'll be surprised that your final grade is WAY higher than you expected. He rewards ppl at the end of the semester and surprisingly throws huge curves, reopens OWLS and offers extra credit, gave 100% PRS credit if u did 10%, it saved my a**
This class made my first semester of college miserable. He goes too fast through the notes and expects students to understand everything the first time through. He is really smart, but awful at teaching. Luckily the lab and the scaling saved my grade, but I was nervous the entire semester because I thought that I would fail.
This class made my semester miserable. When you ask a question in class he makes you feel like an idiot. The tests were so hard, and it was only a 112 level class! During lecture he speeds through material way too quickly. Luckily he scales everything a lot in the end. The class is very stressful. The man is a genius, but not a very good teacher.
His test are extremely hard, and he is very condescending. He scales a ton which is good. His lectures don't make any sense, I taught myself through the OWL homeworks.
His lectures are a bit confucisng but when you read it over in the textbook again then it makes sense! He scales a lot, so even if you get 70s on the exam, you will get an A because he is scaling! and DO GO TO CLASS!!!! it really is helpful, because his exams are similar to his class examples.
He teaches like you should already know everything he is saying. Confusing and useless.
nice teacher. Will give very good help when you ask for it! eccentric man! take notes in class because powerpoints just dont cut it! make sure you have plenty of time to spare when you visit him because he can talk for hours!!
Sort of crazy, but hilarious and a really nice guy.
If you pay attention in class, read, and do your work you'll be fine. Lab is easy and fun. He really knows what he's talking about and has a sense of humor. Lets you write whatever you want for your term paper, which is nice. Lectures are a bit fast paced until you get with the flow. I'm really glad I took the class =)
Only take this class if you are really good at chemisty. I had 2 years of high school chem and got a 5 on the AP exam, but I had to work my butt off to get an A. Voigtman is brilliant, and he's very helpful if you see him individually. Overall, I'm glad I took the class - I was challenged and learned a lot!
great if you already know the material. otherwise really really really really really really really REALLY difficult. I have a 4.0 science GPA and I had to drop the class. DO NOT TAKE.
Taking 111 with him and it is way more difficult than it should be. If you know the material and have a strong chem background you should be fine but if you don't have a strong chem background... good luck. So pretty much only go with this professor if you took AP chem. He isn't a bad teacher, he just speeds through the material.
His class is tough if you never took ap chem. So it is easy for me to say I enjoyed the class. You need to pay attention and he likes when you come to office hours. He makes you think. He is really not that bad. He is a great teacher. Take the class if you want to learn which is the point of college...two thumbs up!
Voigtman has a reputation for being a challenging teacher. The exams in this class are difficult, but not impossible. If you put effort into the class, he will notice, and he will reward you for it. As long as you try you will be golden. He offers lots of extra credit, and loves to see students who care about the subject matter.
Very intelligent man. Worthy of his tenured professorship. However, he is not teaching to the C or even B students in the class. He expects high performance. That being said, he is willing to help and wants his students to succeed. You will have to study EVERY day for this class is you are an average student with little chem background.
Truly a genius. Knows what he's talking about and conveys it well. Material itself is challenging and he goes out of his way to make it harder to make sure we understand it better. Can't tell if he's nice or not... but he is very lenient. Overall, great professor.
You know that one really hard question on an exam that requires you to use almost every formula in the chapter? On his exams, thats every question. Unless you love chem as much as him, he will not help you at all. The majority of the class is usually lost and he blames this on the students. My class's exam average: below 60%. speaks for its self.
worst professor ever DO NOT TAKE CHEM 112 WITH VOIGTMAN chem 112 is much harder than chem 111 in general but he makes it sooooo awful whatever you do don't take it with him avoid at all costs
Worst professor ever. He assumes you remember everything from chem 111 and would make you feel like an idiot if you asked a question or didn't know something. Tests were way harder than practice tests or questions in class. Made my semester miserable. DO NOT TAKE CHEM WITH HIM!
I excelled in chem in high school, but found this class very difficult. He is a very smart professor, but he talks like a textbook, so if you don't completely understand the concepts it all goes way over your head. Basically felt like I had to teach myself from the homework. When I asked questions he made me feel stupid for asking them
Look, he's not the worst guy in the world. Hes a good teacher, he's somewhat understanding and he'll help those who seek it. Just go to class and the SI sessions, and you'll be fine. The first test is really hard but it gets a little easier from there.
I barely learned anything from Voigtman. He just rambles on and on during class without really saying anything valuable. Exams are tough but he offers a lot of extra credit and is fairly flexible about OWL assignments. Going to class is definitely not required, although he gives clicker questions every once in a while.
Voigtman's class has made my semester into a nightmare.His lectures are usless,his textbooks are just indiscernable,sloppy handwritten notes seeming to be a last minute effort thrown together as a way to claim he actually helps us.one of the supplemental instructors told me in no uncertain terms attending his class is pointless. Avoid at all costs
The reason why he is terrible at teaching chem 111 is because he thinks the students are dumb. He teaches the upper level. He laughs at chem 111. avoid at all costs. no joke. - nuc chem student
way too smart to be a professor, goes through material way quick and is teaching you things that are on exam 2 when you havent even taken exam 1 yet. taught myself with the homwework. avoid the professor not the subject.
He is extremely smart and doesn't realize it sometimes, probably should be doing something besides teaching, but he is very reasonable and good at what he does. I missed a test because of, well let's say it wasn't an illness or family emergency, and because I emailed him right after I realized, he let me retake it anyways. Very lenient on homework
It is true, Voigtman is a GENIUS, but it is also clear that he loves the subject. That love for chemistry was contagious. The OWL homeworks are extremely useful and I recommend completing them prior to lecture. If not, at least stay on schedule. If you attend lecture, do your homework and study, you'll be perfectly fine. I loved this class.
He is an awesome teacher who knows what he's talking about and keeps the class interesting with eye-catching demonstrations, concrete examples, and iClickers. He is very lenient on homework and drops the lowest grades but his tests do not allow for mistakes as they are short. I recommend him strongly for self-taught and inquisitive students.
This professor is hands down the worst professor. If you like him then there might be something wrong with you.
worst chem professor ever. I learned nothing in his class and when he tried to explain things he made them more unclear. Don't take is class period.
He is a terrible professor. He usually mocks students during class/reads their e-mails outloud. He rambles during class and is not helpful at all. He is very condescending, I would NOT take this class. He told us the first exam was EXTREMELY easy and our class average was a 65..that says something.
Worst professor i've ever had. Doesn't teach, class is him racing through powerpoint slides. Thinks most test material is "obvious" but to me really wasn't. Do your OWL's, pass the exams and do well in lab and you should be fine. Avoid taking chem with Voigtman at all costs though. Miserable class.
Taking this class with mr.v, was the biggest mistake of my college career. (note) I have made many mistakes. The lectures often do not go with OWL assignments. DO NOT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR AT ALL COSTS
I feel Voigtman is a good professor. He does speed through the slides, but they're always posted online. The most helpful thing in learning the material is the online text and OWL hw assignments. He posts practice exams, and gives in class/ take home exams and averages them together. I find the class totally doable as long as you put in the effort.
Covers the material way too fast. He is confusing and rude to the students. Speaks in a monotonous voice. I used to love chemistry, but after this class, I can't say I love it anymore.You'll put in the effort and still get low marks on your exams.
This class is a joke, so I'm not sure why people think 112 is a hard class because 'math'. If you understand algebra, you should be good. He practically spoon feeds you all the questions he could ask you on the test (with different numbers of course).
If you put in the effort to study for the tests and follow along in class you will do fine. He offers lots of extra credit and counts OWLs more than the other professors do for this class. All in all I found the class to be very fair and him to be engaging and interesting in lectures.
It's obvious that he knows a lot about chemistry. However, he is a very difficult grader. Labs and OWL assignments are meant to boost your grade, but the exams are very tough. The practice exams are much easier than the OWL exams. Study a lot and utilize the SI sessions! He goes through the lectures quickly, and is unapproachable if you need help.
Voigtman is the type of professor that's a good person, but knows too much to be a good professor. He goes through the slides super fast and although they're posted online, he doesn't explain things super clear. Only positive thing is that he gives alot of extra credit, one of the only reasons why I actually passed.
You will have a very hard time passing this course, learning and understanding the material if you have not taken AP Chemistry in high school. The professor lectures through material too quickly and makes you feel stupid if you ask a question he assumes you should already understand everything. Tests are tough and there is a lot of homework.
I thought Voigtman was a really fantastic professor. He explained everything fully in class and anything I didn't understand, homework clarified very well. His grading policy is very fair and he always gives at least two practice exams before any exam. If you stay on top of your work, you will be successful in this class.
It's clear that professor voigtman knows a lot of chemistry. He doesn't teach it all that well though. There are no longer pyramid exams or extra credit for this class. What you get is what you get. If possible, take bianconi instead. She is at least fair at grading by giving pyramid exams and extra credit. Avoid voigtman at all cost
Refuses to answer questions. Tests are obnoxiously hard. Probably the most vain professor i've ever had, and frequently cancels his office hours. AVOID AT ALL COSTS
Voigtman is without a doubt the worst professor I've had at UMass. He deviates from the practice exams as the real ones are orders of magnitude more difficult and complex. . OWLs are long and tedious but I have no complaints there. They help you learn the material. But Voigtman is condescending and vain. Would stay away
Honestly speaking, he is a pretty terrible person in terms of teaching. But he gives out easy extra credit! 10 points added to your test score! And drops 2 questions after the test get 2 questions wrong and still scores a 100. PLUS attendance is not mandatory. You can learn everything online on CHEM OWL. Easy A. SERIOUSLY.
I took his Chem 111 course in the fall and am currently taking 112. He knows a lot, maybe too much for a intro course but he is very specific in lecture and always willing to help clarify. He's always giving great examples and walking through example problems. If you do the OWLs and pay attention in lecture, this class is a very easy A.
He's a nice guy in person, but comes off as intimidating. His policies are clear-cut, and his grading policy is very fair. There's generous grade inflation, and his lectures are great for understanding the material, although he goes into maybe a bit more depth than necessary for some equations. You can get an AB if you do the assignments .
You probably don't have to go to class if you don't want to because he doesn't take attendance, but he does explain the material better than the book so I would recommend going. He may seem intimidating but don't be scared to go to his office hours if you have a question, he's not mean just be respectful. Also he always ends up burning magnesium.
He doesn't want to get to know his students. He talks down on you like you're supposed to know the material and you're dumb if you don't. Would not recommend him at all.
For my course, at least, Voigtman rarely scaled grades. He talksemails his students very condescendingly, and there's little reward (or chance for) class participation. The tests he gives are significantly harder than the practice exams, as well.
A lot of people seem to think he's an awful teacher - I managed an A in Chem 111 with Voigtman and probably will in 112. Instead of assigning you weekly homework he opens all of the homework that is due for the next exam so you can do it on your own time. Attendance is optional so I only go when I have trouble understanding concepts.
He is one of the most boring teachers I've ever had. He screams at you if you have your phone out in class. His lectures are boring and confusing. His tests are difficult. Unless you are already good at chemistry I would not suggest taking his class.
Awful professor and so rude. Do not take!
Go to lecture! The OWLs will help your grade so do all of them too! His scale is reasonable so even though its hard class you can still do well. Out of all the Chem 112 professors he is your best bet for a good grade.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
17%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.27 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEM315
5.0
(2)CHEM111112
5.0
(1)CHEM121H
3.5
(8)111
2.5
(4)CHEM112
2.5
(24)Difficulty by Course
CONFUSION
5.0
A112
5.0
CHEM111
4.2
CHEM121H
4.1
CHEM112
4.1