3.2
Quality3.3
Difficulty73%
Would Retake129
Reviews73%
Would Retake
129
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
29
4
34
3
31
2
29
1
6
What Students Say
“The class average for the first two exams was 62”
103 - 2.0 rating“He is the worst professor you could ever ask for a general chemistry class”
103 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
60%
Textbook Required
33%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.37 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEM329H
4.0
(1)CHEM395
4.0
(1)CHEM104
3.7
(3)CHEM329
3.6
(5)CHEM103
3.5
(97)Difficulty by Course
203
5.0
329
4.0
CHEM329H
4.0
CHEM395
4.0
LECTURE
4.0
Reviews (129)
The class is very hard. Understanding the material is very difficult, and the honor's project is even worse. Exams impossible, but all have big curves. Lectures are very fast and difficult to follow. Labs are helpful. Overall, the class is graded fairly.
difficult material. fairly difficult exams. helpful in office hrs, nice powerpoint presentation. most difficult part in the course is the project and learn how to use a dumb program 'mathcad'
Hard class to begin with. His way of doing the stuff is very confusing, different from what the other professors push. Also unclear with what is actually expected when doing the work
very informative
Very nice and understanding. Material is hard, tests are hard, but the curve is fair.
teches material well but still really hard class, exams are very difficult but graded fairly and have large curve, labs arent too bad and pertain to lectures, the project is a beast...
No Comments
he's good
He gets really wrapped up in the background information that I find to actually help later on. It all seems really confusing until he finally connects it with the stuff that is relevant to 103, and it makes you remember and understand more clearly. Very excited about chemistry, loves to teach.
He sucks, he doesn't know anything he talks about, it's such a hard class and a waste of time. Do not take any class with this professor. He's horrible, absolutely horrible, you will want to die.
Sibert is the bomb. He can't go a class without blowing something up. It makes me sad that I have him my first semester because he will probably be the best professor I will ever have.
he's awesome! his exams are all multiple choice and are very similar to the practice exams...he tries hard to explain everything, but he messes up a lot. great professor
He is AWESOME
Hilarious professor! Loves teaching
Very helpful and clear in lecture. Multiple choice tests.
This guy was always good for a couple of laughs, but he always left me more confused than I was to begin with. He always throws a couple of curve ball questions on the exams, but the curved grades help balance that out. I had to teach myself most of the difficult concepts from the book.
I dont like the way he teaches
Sibert is a decent lecturer, tries his hardest to keep lectures fun and interesting, but sometimes get off track and gets confusing. WARNING: He has his doctorate in physical chemistry and spends way too much time on the hardest subjects of chem 103: MO and VB Quantum Theories. Absolutely recommend him, just read the chapters and you'll be fine! :)
Sibert is hilarious and a very good teacher
I thought he was a decent professor. He got confusing sometimes in lecture but as long as you go to discussion the T.A.'s are usually really helpful at clarifying what you need to know. His tests are kinda hard but I'm pretty sure he makes a generous curve.
He's tough on his tests. The practice tests he recommends don't compare to his real tests. Questions aren't similar at all and his tests are a step above the practice ones.
His lectures are bases off his degree, and jump all over the place. He is tough to follow in lecture, does lots of demos. Practice exams he recommends are useless, read the book and understand the concepts well for the tests. Two or three questions are tough and based off demos. Tests are tougher than other 103 classes, but the bell curve helps
sibert is a great professor! he is clear in his lectures and is very approachable for any additional help. his tests are pretty hard though- 16 multiple choice questions...not sure if they're quite a fair test of knowledge. but otherwise, read the book, go to lecture...you'll be fine.
Really enjoyed all the interesting demos in lecture. Would definitely take him again. Tests are kinda rough for some because they are so conceptual.
Great teacher!
Overall the lectures were not that bad. Exams are tough because they are only 16 questions so if you get a couple wrong your in trouble.
Sibert is an incredible professor. He loves what he does and is always very happy and positive. Although he commonly makes mistakes on the board and commonly does slightly clutzy things during lectures it only adds to his charm and charisma. Take Him!
Sibert has a strange approach to his lectures and hardly touches on what the book covers. Reading the book and taking notes from that will be your best bet! Notes from the lecture only help if he is doing a stoichiometry problem. Do the homework (and then some) to study for exams. Practice exams don't compare to his.
A great teacher, but the Exams are harder than other professors that teach the same class, class averages below a 70 will be curved up though.
Can be Fun
Lectures are worthless. Nothing he talks about pertains to what is on the quizzes and tests. You can't use anything to help you on the quizzes or exams. He does cool experiments, but that was the only thing I got out of lecture. Pray for a good TA to help you learn the stuff in the book.
Read your book and the study questions at the end of each chapter. LECTURES ARE A WASTE OF TIME because he fails to go over any material that will be on exams and what he does discuss in class leads to confusion.
This professor is very good, compared to what i hear of other professors. He gives you practice tests and follows the general questions with the real exam. Do the questions that he recommends in the chapters and you will do fine in the class.
Sibert means well, but is a very poor lecturer. You won't learn much from lecture. You need to read the chapters and do the HW if you want to learn. A good TA is crucial. Exams can be easy to bomb because they're multiple choice - there's no partial credit. Sibert makes up for hard exams with a very generous final grade curve.
Sibert is a good teacher. His tests are harder than the ones other teachers give, but his curve is generous.
The class is pretty easy. His exams are alot harder than the practice exams but they are still fair. Does a lot of demos
All the comments on this professor are fair, but by the end of the class, I could not stand seeing this man. His exams do not make sense, and I really had work hard for an A in this BASIC chemistry course. His comments on global warming are not needed and hardly factual. Avoid him if you can.
Great guy but not the best teacher in the world. He tends to focus on really conceptual aspects of chemistry, which helps, but not when it comes to the actual problems. His curriculum requires online homework and challenge problems which did not teach me anything about chem. By the middle of the year i despised the class. lectures are okay.
Good teaching overall. TA's might be your downfall, some are awful. gets students to interact, which helps a lot. good guy. tests reflect lecture and material covered
This class is great if you were in AP Chem you will get a good grade, however, if you weren't you get graded on how well you teach yourself information. Get a good TA (I recommend Marco Torelli) and go to lectures he brings up stuff that's not in the book at least once per exam.
Tries really hard to make his class fun, despite how difficult the course is. But, it's a lot of work compared to other Chem professors. 4 midterms, 4 challenge problems, daily clicker points and a cumulative final.
Well, if you like demos a lot this is the class for you. However, you basically have to be willing to teach yourself. My TA wasn't great; others who had good TA's seemed to have a better time with the class. Challenge problems suck. A lot. Oh, and for the tests *look at the clicker questions* ;-)
Tests are very challenging, and in comparison to other Chem 103 professors and lectures, Sibert is definitely more work. Challenge Problems are very difficult, and clicker questions at lectures can make or break your grade. If you are able to teach yourself most of the material, this course is for you.
very educated professor. knows what he is teaching. Read your textbook before lecture, then you won't be lost when he is teaching. Promotes group work, uses smartwork, iclicker -- All helped in learning the material. Would recommend this professor
Sibert didn't always explain things the best, the textbook did a much better job, its a good friend to have for this class. You should still go to lec tho b/c the power points were helpful, especially the iclicker ?s. The practice tests however were very helpful and the tests were either easy or fair.
Outstanding professor. Dr. Sibert is a great lecturer who always keeps your interest. He's also very easy to talk to and seems to genuinely enjoy conversing with his students. It's a tough class, but only because Chemistry is a difficult subject. Fortunately, Sibert gives a fair curve to compensate. I give him an A+.
He is a really good professor, really helpful and understanding. He likes questions and corrections. He has an engaging personality in class, so it's hard not to pay attention to him. From what I hear him and Landis are the best teachers for Chem 103.
Sibert's lectures are hit-or-miss. Some days I would walk out of class feeling enlightened and some days I would feel very confused. His tests aren't terrible but reading the book is more helpful than listening to his lectures.
He's very fun in lecture. Sometimes he makes silly mistakes that get corrected quickly and make him seem more human. He's very smart and good at answering questions. A really great professor.
Awesome professor. Reading the book definitely clarify the lectures. Discussion helps a bunch too.
Going to discussion sections and reading the book really clears up the loose ends that he leaves out in lectures. Not a bad professor at all.
Tests were harder than they should have been- one test averaged a 56% and the final average was a 62%.
The professor enjoyed showing demonstrations (including explosions near every Friday) to his lectures to help us remember concepts. Pretty funny guy. I felt the exams (the final exam included) were much harder then they should be. I took AP Chem in high school, so the concepts weren't hard to understand for me.
Amazing prof. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OFFICE HOURS. Don't be afraid to ask questions after class either. Also, read the textbook before lecture on that chapter. Wish I did these things, might have gotten a better grade.
Although some of his tests were extremely hard, I felt like I learned a lot from his class. Amazing professor who knows his stuff and is very helpful if you take advantage of his office hours. Some people were complaining the final was too hard, but I pulled a 100%. Love the guy.
A great professor with a quirky sense of humor. He's really helpful and takes teaching this introductory class seriously. The material isn't easy and it's expected that you put in a good amount of time into studying. Discussion sessions are so helpful. Labs are graded pretty harshly so don't be alarmed if you get terrible grades on them.
Lectures were very interesting but the exams besides the first one were tricky. The curve didn't help me either. Very good professor though and you could go into his office and ask for help.
A nice teacher who takes what he does seriously -- a quirky guy. He'll speak an internal monologue on how he would approach a problem in his head. Not bad. Some more detailed explanations can be unclear. THE "SOLUTIONS TO BLACK EXERCISES" BOOK IS NOT USED EVER.
Sibert is a very nice guy and is hilarious. He cares about is students and loves teaching chemistry. The way he grades homework allows you to easily get an a on every assignment and his tests are fair. Highly recommend him.
Sibert seems like a nice guy, but his lectures are pretty much useless. Attendance taken by clicker questions, you can send yours with a friend though if you don't want to go. Make sure to read the textbook, you pretty much have to teach yourself from it. Don't be overconfident after 1st exam, they get a lot harder.
Lectures are not necessary if you read the book. Content is fairly difficult. Grading is somewhat lenient (24% receive an A).
Professor Sibert is a very nice guy who seems very enthusiastic about chemistry. His lectures were a bit boring but you do get clicker points and almost every in class test referenced something discussed in lecture. He also sometimes included the clicker questions on tests. A useful TA is really the key to success in this class though.
A very nice professor, but never easy. Always have a lot of homework to do- -
You definitely need to go to lecture because of all the clicker points. The exams are kind of hard and some of the questions come out of no where. However, he always puts at least one of the clicker questions on the exams so review those. Also, reading the book and those examples helps a lot too.
Highly passionate professor. Most of the time he is clear and is helpful. The best thing to do is attend his lecture and try to go over the textbook before class. His homework is also highly helpful as some of his exam question are from the HW problem
Strongly recommend using mastering chemistry/homework to study for exams. Easy enough class otherwise. Personally I found him pretty obnoxious, but some seem to enjoy him quite a bit.
The best part about this class was the guy with the ponytail who did the cool experiments. Other than that, I hated chem. He was a good teacher though, but I credit my passing to my lab grade and my wonderful TA.
Not an easy class, but not extremely difficult. I didn't really like the prof Sibert, but he was decent. Honestly, I didn't feel like the lectures helped too much. I just did all the homework and used online resources like clutch prep and the tests felt very manageable. Take him, but don't expect an easy A.
If you like a professor who goes off-topic 50%+ of the time during lecture, gives long MasteringChemistry assignments which you only learn via searching for the answers on YahooAnswers, and who can clearly see when students don't understand a concept in class through the iClicker yet continues anyways, then Professor Sibert is for you.
The practice tests for the actual exams are 10x easier than the actual exam. He doesn't teach you anything useful in class and simply goes over the material without further explaining it. Whenever he uses iClicker quizzes in class, usually 20-30% of the students will get the correct answer and that's good enough for him to move on. Do not take him.
Definitely an unpredictable professor. He knows his students are failing his exams whereas other professors have much higher test percentage averages (e.g. Block, Zelewski) but he does not care about this class since he is too busy with own research. His lectures are very abstract and they are more of interpreting his slides.
One of the worst professors I have had at UW-Madison so far. He will go over one slide at the beginning of the unit on something very specific at the beginning of the test unit and then turn that one slide into a 15-20 point question. You will need photographic memory and Yahoo answers to pass this class since his lectures are useless.
Terrible professor. The class average for the first two exams was 62.79% - There is clearly something he is doing something wrong.
He is very clear on chemistry concepts, is a fair graders, doesn't give any busy-work, is a weird guy (in a hilarious way), tests are okay, he sucks at experiments which is very entertaining in lecture, power lecture was very bearable!! I highly recommend taking Chem 103 from Professor Sibert and I would take any class taught by him in a heartbeat!
His lectures are terrible. You come to take notes on the chemistry topics that will be on the test and his power points have a formula here and there but never explains how to do problems. I could just not go to class and look at his online notes and do the same the class does on every test, oh yeah a 62%. Terrible teacher, will never take again.
During our last lecture before Exam 3, we went through over 10 iClicker questions. Only 3 of the questions had a majority consensus while the rest looked like plateaus. DO NOT TAKE. He is the worst professor you could ever ask for a general chemistry class. His TA's even correct him in class because he does such a terrible job teaching.
Do not take a class from Professor Sibert. While he's a nice and funny guy, he is a horrendous teacher. His lectures are disorganized, and his tests contain uncovered material.
His tests are difficult, but he is a very passionate, good professor. He makes his lectures interesting through a lot of demonstrations which help you understand concepts. You have to work hard in the class - do the homework, read the book, but it's worth it.
Really not a good professor. I have sat in on other lecturers (e.g. Block, Zelewski) for Chem 103 and Sibert is the least efficient and productive professor out of the three. He goes through demos to attempt to teach students in depth but fails every time. His video tutorials are a waste of time. Do not take him as he will ruin your view of chem.
Each lecture dragged on and I taught myself mostly all of the material. He doesn't explain things clearly. The curve is nice though.
Occasionally has test questions on topics that either were not covered or minimally covered in lecture. Requires a very large amount of homework. If he didn't curve the tests, we'd all be hopeless.
While he can be funny and entertaining in class, I learned nothing by going to lecture. His lectures never really covered what would be on the exam, or he just touched on the topics very vaguely. The exams were extremely challenging and many of the questions were much harder than anything we ever did in class. I wouldn't recommend him.
Lectures are well organized but he doesn't spend enough time on any one subject. Often times when he asks i-clicker questions he doesn't give an explanation for why the answer was right, even when 80% of the class got it wrong. Tests are very difficult and push you to the limit. I feel like if I had a different professor I wouldn't be struggling.
I really enjoyed having Professor Sibert. His lectures are pretty entertaining. You definitely need to put in a lot of extra work for his tests. Overall I learned a lot from his class!
Lectures are interesting basically only because of the demo's done by Jim. Some of the things Prof. Sibert says are confusing and he does not explain very well in detail. Will get an A but that is not because of Prof. Sibert's teaching.. its because of my previous chem knowledge from high school. Lost interest in the class as semester went on.
He was definitely the hardest chem professor for 103. I felt at a disadvantage being in this lecture. His demos were bad.
His lectures are not relevant to the exams because they test things that are the exceptions and not general ideas of the course. While the test are difficult, there is a large curve. He is bad at explaining things and teaches through giving the answers to clicker questions, never bothering to explain them.
If you didn't have a good high school chemistry teacher do not take Sibert. With that being said, if you did I would recommend taking him as the curves were super easy to beat. He always includes 4 or 5 almost impossible questions on tests. One of our averages for short answer was a 39%!!! Highlight of the class was the guy who did the demos.
Professor Sibert hardly clarified anything that he (briefly) covered in his mandatory video lectures. It was really tough to know what he was talking about. The book was more helpful than he was, and even that was sometimes vague.
I have no doubt Sibert is an excellent chemist and a good guy. That being said, he could clearly care less about teaching chem 103. His course is comparable to taking an online course and the only reason to attend lecture is for clicker points. If you want to get something for your money, do not take this professor.
Tests are pretty tough but don't worry, there's a curve. I like how he tries to actually get his students to understand what chemistry is instead of just memorizing chem problems, though. Labs are tough but with a good T.A., you'll be fine. Very invested in material but not very helpful or understanding.
Lectures are confusing and you're better off reading the book and going on the Internet. Lecture is a must for clicker points. Not helpful or clear at all. Puts questions on tests that we have never learned about or are in the book. Makes tons of mistakes on the board. Don't take his class if you're takig Chem for the first time.
Professor Sibert is an underrated professor in my opinion. He teaches the material clearly and gives many different ways in which you can learn the material. The tests are exactly like the practice tests he gives out in class and online. He really wants to see his students succeed.
I have no doubt that Sibert is a good chemist and is passionate about the subject, but he is simply a poor professor. His explanations can be confusing, and his lectures aren't structured well. If I hadn't already learned most of the material in High School, I would definitely have struggled.
Professor Sibert is a nice and funny guy, however, his explanations are only understood if you read before going to the class. If you do not read chapters before class, you will be REALLY lost. I had a lot of extra help in trying to understand what he was saying. my TA did not really help either. It made it even harder.
Very difficult tests (class average of 55% on one of them) and not very helpful to those who don't understand a concept.
His lectures were very boring, and I often left lecture with more confusion and questions than when I came. Sit toward the front, that's the only possible you'll be able to pay attention. The tests are tough, and the only way I survived was by taking the practice tests he had online.
The lectures were clear, and he gave helpful examples to explain concepts. There is a substantial amount of homework, as is to expected form a college class, but it's generally helpful. Grading is tough, but as long as you do your best it'll be fine. While he did not change my life, he was a good professor, and I recommend him to Chem 103 students.
He is wonderful! Couldn't expect a better chemistry professor.
Pretty great professor, lecutres helped a lot were interesting and somewhat engaging. Just make sure you stay on top of you're reading and you will do fine. I'm sure he will be helpful in his office hours although I never went.
He know's exactly what he is talking about and gives you all the information you will need for the tests through videos that he creates! Definitely would recommend.
Best professor ever
His exams are tough. He is also very confusing and makes many mistakes in lectures and on his tests. Would not recommend.
Avoid Sibert. I learned more from my semi-fluent TA than his lectures. Weekly homework and labs are a nice grade booster, but tests are difficult and not very applicable to what is learned in class. If you work hard enough you should do okay, but only because the curve is generous. Sibert has office hours but is rude when you go in to ask questions
Lectures got a little long, sometimes I didn't feel like he fully explained certain concepts before moving on. However, he did a good job of making sure you know what's on his exam. Practice exams were helpful, and the videos he posts about the most important concepts were really helpful. All in all a good professor.
Avoid if possible. Professor Sibert is a very nice guy, but he often makes mistakes in his power point lectures that end up confusing the whole class. He gives practice exams and then proceeds to give us tests with questions we have never seen before. The grading is pretty lenient however, so if you really try you CAN get a good grade.
Professor Sibert is a knowledgeable guy who provides you with a clear grading rubric and makes lectures interesting. He's not the greatest professor but he is above average.
I though Professor Sibert was great !A word to the wise though: DO NOT BUY THE TEXTBOOK BUNDLE FROM THE UNIVERSITY BOOKSTORE!! Buy the required homework subscription directly from them online, it comes with a better e-textbook for half the price. Sibert makes videos a la ASAPscience to explain key concepts, WATCH THEM! they are incredibly helpful
He is such an unorganized professor. His lectures are all over the place, long, boring, and hard to follow. Makes lots of mistakes on his midterms (grammar, the correct answer isn't there, etc.). Somewhat helpful in office hours. If you don't have a good TA you're screwed. Get into a different professor!
He expects you to know more about chemistry than most people do taking general chem. Not good at explaining concepts. If I were you, try to get into a different professor. Boring and hard to learn from. He comes off funny and nice, but is not too helpful overall. Textbook is essential. Watch the videos he makes - seriously.
Pay attention to the little specific things about the material. always one or two questions (out of 15) on exams that are really nit-picky about the material
The worst teacher in the Chem department. AVOID, AVOID, AVOID. Essentially the class goes like this: he makes a ton of mistakes in lecture, gives practice exams, then proceeds to give exams with questions that look nothing like the practice exam or anything we did in class.
Confusing lectures but if you read the textbook and watch the videos beforehand, you'll be fine. Tests were straightforward, a couple MC questions were tricky but that was to be expected. Final was straight from previous tests and the review powerpoint.
I'm not a big fan of Chemistry in general, but his teaching was what I expected. No real tricks to his class, if you put in the effort (watching videos, doing practice tests, reviewing material) it should not be hard to do fairly well.
I really liked this professor. He was clear and the lectures laid out the material nicely. Curves well on exams and in general (top 25% got As) and is sympathetic to students; he wants to make sure they understand. Can understand (no accent) which was helpful. Be prepared to study a lot outside of class - if you put in the work an A is acheivable.
One of the greatest professors I've had at Madison. He teaches chemistry in a way that is easy to understand and cares about how his students perform. Tests never have any surprises and discussion sections are extremely helpful. Reading the book before a test did help my understanding of some concepts. I didn't like chemistry but loved it with him
Was a bit confusing in lecture, but knowledgeable of the material. If you use the book and watch the online videos, it will help a lot in lecture.
Go to class, watch the pre-lecture videos and make sure you understand the material in lecture and you will get an A. Helps to have a good TA but not essential. If you have questions I found professor Sibert to be very easy to talk to.
Good prof over all
really funny charismatic professor. Definitely learned a lot too
Theres' a lot of work that goes into this class, but watch Sibert's pre class videos, READ THE BOOK and do the homework, and you will do fine. Lectures are a little dull, but going to them helps clear up topics that may have been harder to understand if you didn't. Overall good guy and tries his best to help students learn.
Although chemistry is not my favorite subject, he makes lectures fun and exciting. He taught material well and was very organized in lectures. I felt exams were also far.
Sibert was a great professor and he definitely knows what he's talking about, but I had trouble understanding a lot of the concepts that he was trying to teach us. He is super funny and approachable, but the way he teaches his class was not what I was used to. I would definitely recommend taking 103 in the fall if you have a choice.
Professor Sibert was an enjoyable lecturer because I felt he was really passionate about what he taught. He attempted to clarify more complex ideas as clearly as he could. Sometimes the class is tough, but that's where the reading and showing up to discussions comes in handy. Also Jim is really awesome and always does demonstrations in his PJs.
I like professor Sibert, I genuinely do. He's a good guy. The problems I had with the class had more to do with the Gen Chem curriculum. It takes a good amount of work, but it is nicely curved. The discussion sections are useless even with a good TA. I don't like Chem, but Sibert is as good as any professor in the department.
Sibert is great - I graded him based on his course, not him as a lecturer. As his syllabus states, most of the learning takes place out of class time, online. In fact, I found the feedback paragraphs on the post-class homework website to be more helpful at teaching me than the textbook. I took screenshots of feedback and reviewed them before tests
Sibert gets a bad rap because he's the only professor that teaches Chem in the fall. However, as long as you do all the online hw and do all the discussion sheets (answers also online!!!), you will get an A. His exams are concept heavy btw. I have seen fall professors exams and yeah sibert's exams 100% easier.
Such an amazing professor! He is a good lecturer because he keeps students engaged and knows the material extremely well! He cares very much about his students and is always available when you need him!
I think this is the first time he teaches a p chem course. he gives almost no lecture. most of the time we do group work. i dont think i learn any quantum mechanics. but my integration/differentiation and excel skills are definitely better after this class.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
60%
Textbook Required
33%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.37 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEM329H
4.0
(1)CHEM395
4.0
(1)CHEM104
3.7
(3)CHEM329
3.6
(5)CHEM103
3.5
(97)Difficulty by Course
203
5.0
329
4.0
CHEM329H
4.0
CHEM395
4.0
LECTURE
4.0