3.0
Quality3.6
Difficulty55%
Would Retake183
Reviews55%
Would Retake
183
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
39
4
41
3
28
2
28
1
47
What Students Say
“She has an attitude sometimes”
CHEM101 - 1.0 rating“First, this is a lecture heavy class”
CHEM101 - 5.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
81%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.70 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEM233
4.3
(4)CHEM124
3.5
(4)CHEM101
3.0
(103)CHEM112
3.0
(7)CHEM122
2.9
(49)Difficulty by Course
chem125
3.9
CHEM233
3.8
CHEM122
3.7
CHEM123
3.7
CHEM101
3.6
Reviews (183)
She isn't there to help you when you need it. The TA's will be your best friend if you want to pass. Her lectures are just copied and pasted from the book. Very confusing in lectures because she makes tons of mistakes. Expect quiz or exam every Friday, so go to lecture. She likes to have pop quizzes. Very boring and confusing class. Try to switch.
Very easy class, as long as you show up and read your book you can get an easy A. I got a 106% and a 96% on the first exam/midterm.
Dr. Stec is not a professor for everyone. If you think you'll struggle in chemistry, I'd suggest taking another professor. However if you know basic chemistry, she teaches quickly and by showing examples, which is how I learn. Show respect in class and she'll be cool as well.
Dr. Stec is a great professor. Her lectures are very straightforward and she does examples in class which are very helpful. Her tests aren't hard if you study and do practice problems. She has a sarcastic attitude, but it's funny and makes the class go by faster. Definitely recommend her.
It would be a good idea to know the basics of Chemistry. In other words, if you take her class, you better have taken AP Chemistry in your senior year of high school. She goes really fast on the slides, and although she puts the notes online, you end up teaching yourself most of the time. Great personality, but not recommend for learning.
I would take her class and, in fact, I will be doing so for CHEM 112. She's a good professor. A lot of it is self teaching but if you read the book and do the homework there should be no issues.
She came in mid-semester and she was much worse than the professor that "resigned"
The class itself isn't that bad. However, Professor Stec is by far the least helpful professor Ive ever had. First off she has a heavy accent and would always call people out during lecture, which would waste a lot of learning time. Going to her office hours is even worse, she has a very sarcastic tone, and expects you to know everything.
She definitely understands that she isn't the best teacher. However, she curved my class EXTREMELY. Just don't depend on it. Most quizzes were based of the discussion worksheets and problems in the textbook. If you read the textbook and understand it, easy A. Gives easy extra credit :)
Her class is whatever. Nothing too incredibly difficult. She doesn't put anything on the tests that you've never seen before. Her explaining the lecture notes didn't do anything for me but the notes themselves were useful.
Dr. Stec is a good and funny professor. She is somewhat demanding, but only because she has high expectations for what students will take away from her course. Yet, she is very reasonable. Exam questions resemble worksheet problems and in lecture examples. With Dr. Stec if you put in the work, you will succeed.
If you go to the lectures, you will pass, and well. She makes everything very straightforward. There's a bit of memorization, but honestly it's not bad. She makes things easy to understand by taking concepts like food, and relating it to Chemistry. Don't take her class though if you talk during class or text, she'll call you out.
So much homework now that they separated the labs, its extra work!! Its like taking 2 courses of chemistry. The lecture has a lot of reading & too many online assignments every week. Just attend lecture for iclicker, professor goes real fast... have to self study everything. Also lab TA's are very unhelpful and tough graders.
Of all of the chemistry professors at UIC, DO NOT TAKE STEC. She has a thick accent that can be difficult to understand. She goes through lessons so quickly, that it is difficult to understand how to do anything. She doesn't really thoroughly explain things. You have to do a lot of learning on your own. She does i-clicker sessions often.
WORST TEACHER EVER! HER CLASS IS ALOT HARDER THAN OTHER 123 PROFESSORS! SHE IS THE ABSOLUTE WORST AND DOES NOT EXPLAIN ANYTHING WELL.
Reads off of PowerPoint, you really need to study using the book and basically teach yourself since she goes so fast and sometimes you can't even understand what she's saying.
Don't listen to anyone who says she is horrible!!! They are clearly not the sharpest crayons in the box. I had her for Chem 101 and 112. All you need to do is attend lectures and note what she writes in RED or BLUE on her slides. She hints things that would be on exams and quizzes too. Her tests were based off the lecture notes and worksheets.
Stec is honestly an amazing teacher. Most people who say she's terrible don't even show up to class. (You can get away with ditching but you kind of have to show up because lectures are crucial.) I struggled with chemistry in high school but she teaches well. Some tests are a bit difficult, but show up and pay attention and you'll be fine
Not a good teacher. Doesn't seems like she wants to be. Avoid if you can.
WARNING: Go to lectures. Don't expect to pass this class without doing 1) your online homework, 2) reading over the lecture slides and 3) completing the weekly Discussion worksheets. That said, you don't need the book so save yourself the money. Also, be respectful. She really hates people walking out halfway through class.
Not easily accessible outside of class. Not a good professor. Would not recommend.
She has an attitude sometimes. she goes really fast because she put the PowerPoint online. Don't buy the book
I had Stec for 101 and will have her again for 122. Do not buy the book because most of her notes are on powerpoint, which you will have access to. She does rush through things, but if you visit her during her office hours and regularly attend Discussion, then you will be fine.
I enjoyed this class Professor Stec makes you think. I studied her lecture notes, homework, and discussion worksheets. I ended up with an A, she curves at the end. She tells you what will be on the exam so study it - not that hard. Will take her for gen chem.
Goes too fast with the material. If you take her, don't rely on her lectures. Just study the textbook.
Her power points are very informative. She is a bit tougher than other teachers, but you are more prepared than other students with easier professors. Overall, almost all of her exams and quizzes are fair. You will just have to study a lot to do well.
Super great professor. A little bit accent but funny and miss her so much for chem!!
Shes a great explainer and shes smart, however she is a very tough grader and no partial credit in most of her exams. Her exams are extremely tough, you must study well. Extremely hard exams and lots of homework. HARD CLASS ESPECIALLY FOR GENERAL CHEMISTRY I
Extremely hard professor however a great explainer.
Overall, Dr. Stec is a great lecturer, but she can be a little tough on grading. You do have to put in the effort to get a good grade since it chemistry. However, she does give quite a lot of extra credit in class. So it is a good idea to show up at every class.
Very difficult teacher to work with. Gets mad when students dont understand something, but makes a ton of mistakes herself. Mistakes happen, just dont make everyone else think this subject is easy, its not. Way too challenging for a gen chem class, tests are averaging at a D and no curve. Avoid this woman for a teacher who may actually teach.
This class tries to create a conditioning atmosphere to prepare students for higher level courses, but unfortunately Stec turns it from difficult to near impossible. She tries to make the class lecture heavy, but lectures are glazed over and her accent is difficult to understand. Your best resources will be your TA's and blackboard documents.
Prof Stec is the hardest grader Ive encountered at UIC. She barely gives partial credit on exams even if you just make a little mistake. The class average for exams was in the 50's which says a lot about her as a teacher. For a 100 level chemistry course this class is ridiculously difficult. Do not take!
Not really the best teacher out there rather just buy the book and teach yourself. The class itself is a pain in the rear but id imagine it a little better with a better teacher. Shes ok.
Stec is not that bad tbh. She helps you by highlighting key notes on her slides by making them red or blue. The problem I had with Stec were her TA's.... I would go to discussion confused and leave more confused, so I gave up and stopped going to discussion. They're all harsh graders, no partial credit. Literally 2 of the 3 exams were F average..
Dr. Stec gets straight to the point. She has a really clear grading criteria, gives you all the information that is going to be on the exams and the quizzes. Don't miss the lectures, she explains everything slowly and clearly, may call out to people if nobody answers her questions.
her accent is hard to understand. she rushes through her lectures, barely explains anything. talks really low even with a mic in her hands. you're better off reading the textbook and teaching yourself.
I had her for both Chem 101 and Chem 122. She was a great professor and her slides are great that I didn't need to use the book. Her exams were easy because it was based off of discussion worksheets and sapling. If you dont understand anything, she helps tremendously during her office hours.
Stec is great. She makes many funny jokes and the content is pretty clear. The TA's are all very VERY different but most were good. She aims for a 72% class average but its normally lower, all the Chem teachers do though so do not panic.
I took Stec for 101 and continue to like her. An iclicker is needed for the iclicker sessions (which count for a small portion of your grade). The textbook is useful but not mandatory. She goes through the slides quickly so I suggest taking only taking notes on what she orally says. The PowerPoints are very useful for tests as well.
Dr. Stec is a good professor but if you don't pay attention you won't pass. She uses iclickers very often but the questions are pretty easy. Her discussion classes really help if don't understand something. Do the work and you should be fine
Realizing that I did not benefit from any of her lectures, I stopped going. I taught myself the entire course of CHEM 101 from sitting at home. I gave my iClicker to my friend who would do the iClicker sessions for me. As long as you do the homework and understand the content, you will most likely receive a B on the quizzes and exams.
Online homework is the devil and you'll be doing a lot of it. From what I can tell she does not give extra credit to any extent or curve. Try and get Islam he's supposed to be the easiest prof. Also, you don't need the book. Just Yahoo answers til you drop.
She explains everything well, but at a very fast pace, so if you are looking for an easy A you will not find it here. In the lecture, you can goof around, but almost every Friday there is a quiz. Also, I-clicker sessions at almost every lecture.
You can skip class as much as you choose, but her lectures are very good. Also she has i-clicker sessions everyday, so if you do miss class you are only losing your points. Tests are fairly tough, just review the slides and you'll be good to go. She does tend to give about 15 extra points in I-Clickers.
Frequent use of iClickers. She's hard to understand and skips over lecture material quickly. Her lecture slides on their own are pretty good, she offers some materials to help you outside of class (worksheets, practice problems etc). Show up to class because you don't know when there will be an iClicker. Test/Quiz almost every week.
Lectures always felt rushed; Be ready to teach yourself outside of class. The T.A.'s were great though. Discussion helps clear things up. Quizzes and exams don't stray too far from what's covered on HW so just put the effort in and you'll do fine.
She clearly sets the path for you to succeed in her classes, you just need to keep up. I ended up with an A for Chem 122 and I read every chapter from the textbook that was needed because in my opinion her lectures werent useful. But the slides were. Shes a bit hard to understand and hard to focus in class but overall super caring and easy.
she does go over the lecture slides very quick but as long as you put in work outside of class, you will do fine. Quizzes almost every week. Her TA's are amazing! Go to TA office hours if you ever feel stuck or confused and they can help.
I loved how she presented problems and solved them out on paper in lectures. It was a huge plus as she didn't just read off the powerpoint slides. You can easily get an A if you look over the slides before an exam and go over the discussion answers she posts before the exams. There isn't much of a curve from what I remember but she does add EC.
She made everything very easy to understand. Her exams are basically a replica of the discussion worksheets that you go over in discussion and the examples during lecture. She wants you to work for your grade, that is why she doesn't curve the class If you are close to a C and go to her office hours for help, she will consider curving you to a C
She's great. She seems harsh, I think because of her accent, but she's actually kind. She bumped my grade up slightly from 79 to a 80 and also gave the class a small curve. She also did extra credit clicker sessions and provided extra credit in the quizzes and the final exam. I went to a couple of her office hours and she helped clarify immensely.
To all incoming freshman debating whether or not to enroll into her class. First, this is a lecture heavy class. Everything on the tests and quizzes come from her lectures! I did not touch the book once. Second, study for the tests! They are easier than you'd think. If you have a good TA it should be an easy A.
Attendance is not required
She goes by so fast and with so many mistakes in class that youre better off staying home and going through the slides yourself. The downside of skipping is you dont get iclicker points. The material is easy but the grading is hard no partial credit for anything. Easy to fail a test. Shes rude when you seek help. Avoid this class if you can!
Dr. Stec was a great professor if you pay attention in class, and take notes on lecture. Her lecture notes were extremely beneficial if you missed a class. The concepts are hard to learn at first, but they can be easily remembered through practice, either in lecture or discussion.
Coming in I thought Stec would be way worse. To be honest she isn't bad at all. In class she may seem harsh, but I would recommend going to her office hours she is nicer there. I went to see her for help during finals week and she tells you the breakdown of everything and what grade you need on the final to get the desired grade you want.
Lectures can be pretty boring, but she always posts them online. She does lots of practice problems in class. I don't like that she constantly switches back and forth between the lecture slides, the course manual, and iClickers. Attendance not really required but she has iClicker sessions almost everyday(capped at 30points so you can miss a couple)
Professor Stec was an excellent teacher. Although she has a noticeable accent that may be hard for students to follow, lecture was great, she included hints at what would be in examinations and what would not. She's also funny at times with how she runs the class. She may seem to be hard at first but it is clear she wants students to succeed.
She's nice; light accent. Starts getting hard at Exam 2; don't slack off! Discussions are easy points. Attend office hours, read the e-book, lectures, assignments, and then practice problems to prepare for the exams. Not much extra credit, but i-Clicker points can be used as such. Take 1-2 days to study for the final. Time-consuming, not an easy A.
Stec comes across as harsh because of her accent which makes it kind of hard to understand her. Overall she's a decent choice. Her lecture notes are accessible and she does examples in class. Overall the CHEM 101 course is really easy so her actual lectures didn't mean anything to me. She has occasional extra credit pop quizzes which help.
She may seem mean and off putting but actually really nice. Her exams can be hard but if you study really hard you can do well. Not an easy A you definitely need to try. My TA Juan was the best thing that ever happened. So if your TA is good that will help you a lot. The best way to study for this class is PRACTICE PROBLEMS.
Professor Stec did a good job at having clear and detailed lectures that got to the point of the information needed to understand the specific topic. Could sometimes have a mean of strict demeanor but is a nice person who have many example problems and made you feel prepared for tests and quizzes. Tests and quizzes were not hard.
Although Dr. Stec may come off as harsh, she really is a very sweet person. I guess it's best not to approach during/after lectures since the magnitude of the students in the lecture hall may cause her to give you a quick response. Go to her office hours and seek out the TAs. I was failing the class and soon found myself passing once I sought help.
I had a hard time passing this class. I had to get a tutor because she breezes through things really fast in lecture. You really have to put a large amount of effort to pass this class, which includes doing a bunch of practice problems and asking a lot of questions. Just prepare to work for a good grade!
Only go to class for iclicker but be fully prepared to teach yourself everything or use your TA. Stec can be hard to understand & makes mistakes. She is often confused & mumbles but occasionally she would do something funny. I ended up with an A but it was self taught. Make sure you study bc pop quizzes are given but they only help not hurt urgrade
Every piece of homework she assigns, do. Show up to lecture not only for the iclickers but she goes over problems that might be over the exam. Chem 101 has literally ALL the topics in youtube videos (Use Tyler Dewitt!) there's no excuse not to pass. I mainly used that and taught myself because she doesn't teach that well (she's a solid choice tho)
I am usually a fast learner and I pick up on things easily. Even though I went to class and lab everyday and did all the homework and tests, I barely got a B. And I have taken chem before. Shes is very fast paced and strict. However she is knowledgeable and not a bad teacher.
Dr. Stec is one of the best chem professor for 101. She cares alot about her students
She's actually pretty good. If you go to her lectures and listen then you'll be ready for any quiz or exam. She goes over the similar problems before the exam and quizzes. She sometimes gives out some helpful papers. Honestly never gone to her office hours because everything was clear during the lectures.
This was my first semester with Dr. Stec as my professor and she was definitely a solid choice. Her lectures are boring and content-heavy because she tries to fit too much info into one class. So I found myself studying a lot outside of class for exams. She honestly is very sweet, but if you really want an A, she is going to make you work for it.
I found her nice and funny and I thought her lectures were fun. Loved how was able to engage (almost)everyone, iclicker sessions were fun too. Sad she is not teaching chem124. Exams are extremely tight on time! Have to rush through questions which causes silly mistakes. Edit: gave us unexpected extra credit on the final which was so adorable:)
Challenging professor, no doubt. She admitted herself that she gives the hardest exams! However, a solid choice when learning chemistry in my opinion. I learned a lot. She'll make you work for it but if you don't mind putting in the work, studying, and going to class, you'll do great.
Test grades matter more than you think. Go over discussion worksheets and lecture slides to study for exams. Really pay attention in class and go to her office hours because she's very nice.
I found it hard to pay attention in lecture because I would read the textbook and so I would know everything she was saying already. She had a low of iclicker questions which would get annoying after some time because they were timed. I don't think that Stec was a terrible teacher though. I think that the structure/courseload of CHEM 122 is a mess.
Stec is the best person to take for Chem 101. Although her exams might be hard, she teaches you to understand. I would take Stec over again. She does have a curve for Chem 122, but not 101. Stec is really the best at UIC
Five exams in total including one cumulative final exam. Tests are not easy but if you thoroughly go over all practice problems on lecture slides and discussion worksheets before each exam, you will pass it with an A. Just be sure to manage your time during exams.
She would not answer your questions during the lecture. She would refer to you to ask your TA or she'll answer by asking you a question.
Professor Stec was really insensitive to people having lives outside of school especially with the COVID pandemic going on. I lost power in my neighborhood and I missed one lecture because of it, she fought me when I asked what I could do to recover the points I lost. She was rude and condescending. I would recommend if she changed up a bit.
I definitely recommend Montano instead of Stec. I took AP Chem and flew through 95% of the discussion worksheets without notes. My HW at high 90s , went to all lectures, and my tests ranged 15-20% above class averages, thus carrying an A throughout the semester until finals screwed me to a high B. Her tests are more difficult than any other profs.
She does not accommodate the student's needs. Especially during the pandemic and the struggle minorities go through. She will always blame things at her students saying "It's not my fault it's yours". Even if it's a technical issue multiple people are having.
I really tried in this, I really did. During lectures, she skips through the powerpoints very fast making it impossible for me to process it in my brain, and she likes to teach new content at the last 2 minutes of class. She's not very polite, I've seen students ask her questions and her reply rudely. And her test are VERY hard.
First off, shes mean as hell. Her personality discourages students from asking questions when needed. Her accent is very heavy which makes is beyond difficult to understand her at times, thus creating a barrier. She goes over the material extremely fast. The learning doesnt happen in this class but outside of it. Wish I chose another Professor.
She is by far the worse teacher I've ever had!! She does not care about her students one bit, giving little to no help if students are confused and stressed. Literally, I am telling you DO NOT TAKE HER AS A TEACHER!!!!! You will regret it!! I've had her for two semesters from Chem 101 to Chem 122 and all she does is read off slides and says g luck
Stec is very lecture heavy but her slides are very useful. Wish she would go though more practice problems or study guide but she is overall a pretty decent teacher. Exams are pretty tough so if you dont almost master material you wont do well!! She has a slight bad attitude towards students but if you put in the work youll do okay in the class.
Hereclass is extremely difficult. Though the due dates of her assignments are fairly spread out, giving you a decent time frame to get your work done, it's hard to reach out to her because she's intimidating and kind of mean. I would't recommend taking this class if you want to feel comfortable asking for help. All she does is read off slides
all she did was read the slides & did prerecorded lectures with 1 live zoom on friday if u wanted to ace the exam u had to practice & learn the material on your own & study for the exam at least 2 or 3 days prior even then u would get a high D or middle C at best if u somewhat knew the material. it took up a lot of my time to get a decent grade
Alright, real talk folks. I believe the only reason a lot of students are saying shes not good is bc theyre not putting in the effort to actually learn and understand information. Yes she is a tough grader, but she holds office hours frequently and is always helpful. Remember, especially since were online, theres only so much a professor can do.
A lot of people say she's mean, but she isn't. It's more sarcasm, and if you truly do try in the class and go to her office hours she WILL help you. If you actually do the sapling homework yourself, and do the workbook problems you will pass the class. She does read off of slides, but those slides she reads are important. I used the slides a lot.
If you do the work when youre supposed to, you shouldnt have any issues. A lot of people say shes rude, but I think she just has a cold temperament because Ive never seen her be rude to anyone. The quizzes and exams arent bad as long as you review what youve learned for the unit.
She has a very thick accent, which makes her lectures hard to understand. She's also not helpful when it comes to review sessions, because she expects you to know everything when you attend her sessions. The tests are hard in general, and as long as you take notes on the lecture slides, you should be fine. ALSO, DO THE DISCUSSION WORKSHEETS!!!
You MUST watch the lectures to pass. The test are very hard. There is a lot of material covered. By far my hardest class of the semester.
Dr. Stec is a good professor, you have to put the work in. Discussion sheets and homework are very helpful. I barely used the book. Use resources like youtube, TA's, and the tutoring department. I was getting around a C in the class before the final, I did well and she gave 10 extra credit points and I got an A for the semester.
Ive heard people say that they dont like Stec as a professor for various reasons, but I definitely do think that its exaggerated. As long as you watch the lecture videos, take notes, ask questions when you need clarification and review material before the test you will do well. Also do hw on time! I personally didnt get the book and I did great!
She would just read the lectures like we couldn't already read and be like that was the lesson adding nothing more to it and often her work would be wrong and she wouldn't correct them or even double-check her own slides to see if they were all correct. We studied the slides with the mistake thinking they were right since she a prof and here we r.
Horrible. None of her exams have information from the lectures. She has no examples for notes. TAs dont help either. Emailed questions no luck. Now have to take summer school cause of this class. Got all As except for this class. I passed chem first semester with an A so I know its not me. Im just not being taught.
She was honestly really horrible. Anytime anyone asked questions she would just get mad and not repeat. Tell us to watch the videos again- mind you, are extremely long lecture videos for a small piece of information. Many people dropped her class bc she isnt helpful.
First off, I believe this professor is a good person, however, a good teacher? Not so much. Prof. Stec has a very strong accent that heavily hindered my understanding of the subject by a LOT. She is a tough grader, not enthusiastic, she tended to make errors often and was not very understanding. Many students taught themselves the subject instead.
I have never struggled with a class so much. The professor goes through the lectures as if we already know the material. When practicing equations there is little to no time to ask questions because her main goal is to get through the slides even if we don't have a good understanding of the material. I've learned more from my TA.
Stec does absolutely nothing to teach other than read off Powerpoint presentations. She does not answer questions during class, and expects everyone to master concepts immediately. Her exams are very hard to study for, and her homework is assigned across multiple websites so it's hard to keep track of. Just teach yourself.
Class followed this structure: introduce a new concept -> ask a question -> confused why no one understands it completely right away -> moves on to another topic -> student asks a question we dont have time -> clicker question. Shes very cold and doesnt respect students time and attendance is strict despite her staying at home.
From personal experiment: A students performance is a teachers reflection. test are on line and you either get it right with points or wrong with no partial credit (0). prepare to teach yourself.
SO STRICT, but she's fine among professors in chemistry. I got an A but it was really hard because the exam was pretty tough.
You show up to the lecture, jump right in. If you dare ask a question shell be confused on why you dont get it and wont explain. Makes you do the homework over the weekends since what she teaches wont make sense until you finish that weeks section. The discussions are pretty much a joke, you show up for half an hour and get nothing done.
I took the class twice, withdrew both times. Not much different. It was only the first week of school and she was already being impatient with most students and doesn't answer most questions helpfully. With too much homework and overly difficult exams, I'd say unless you plan on ACTUALLY joining the medical field, hard pass.
After reading some of the reviews on here I was worried about taking this prof but I am happy to report those were very much exaggerated and I will be taking her next semester. Do your work and pay attention and show up for class and you will be fine, I think she is actually a very good prof.
I think Stec is honestly not a bad prof u just have to study, do assignments, and do practice problems and youll be fine.
the class is a hard class, ms stec takes her time and explains great, I have friends that are taking classes with a different professor, ms stec is prob the best prof you can take. During her office hours, she makes sure that you understand the topic.
Professor Stec is amazing when it comes to encouraging students to come to her office hours. She is more than willing to help if you have any question. The course does go by very quickly. She does not like being asked questions that require her to elaborate a lot. If you study and put in the effort for this class, you will do great.
Stec is not fun. Study and do your work and you'll be ok but she is so strict. Asking questions in class will get you scoffed at and she will be confused why you don't understand and why you're wasting class time. Tests are hard to make sure you study and pay attention in discussions. Don't recommend but if you take her... you can do it!! Good luck
Stec was the absolute worst professor I've ever had. She was not helpful at all and I got through the semester by watching youtube videos. Stec is not considerate at all and gets offended when you don't understand something. Honestly, the whole chem department is horrible, but Stec is the worst. Please don't take her, you'll hate your life.
She is so sweet and her review sessions are helpful. I have it a 4 for difficulty because if you don't work, it will take some effort from you. If you study, you're good. But huge curve so dw too much. Tests are quite difficult, so I'd recommend using the textbook and reviews. If you ask her smthn, she will explain nicely. Homework is easy so dw.
I would not recommend taking Stec. She would be my last option for chem 122. Her teaching is not the best, she mostly reads off the slides. If you want to pass this class, you'll have to learn the material yourself. She also has a very HORRIBLE attitude. She gets mad if you ask a question and WILL make you feel dumb for asking it.
I honestly liked Dr. Stec. She was nice and caring. The class was challenging but that's how Orgo lab is!
She is a very nice and helpful person if you attend her office hours. My advice for people is to really practice using the lecture presentations and avoid reading the book if your main objective is passing the class. Practice the lecture problems and iClicker questions and you should be fine. The exams reviews are very helpful!
Very clear and understandable instruction
Although I took orgo lab in the summer, I expected stec as the professor to be more involved and available to lead us through such a difficult course, at an accelerated speed nonetheless. However the entire course is basically self-study through trial and error and stec is rarely ever there to help, forcing 1 TA to help an entire struggling class.
I only go to lectures for attendance and iclicker questions. I ended up teaching myself the content by just reading the book. one assignment I completed but forgot to press submit, I emailed her and she said (5 days later) she saw I completed it, but it's still a zero. Our class average on the last exam was 58 and she was laughing about it.
I needed few points to pass the class, i talked to her. and she was like there is no way that I help you out.
I do not understand the bad rep Professor Stec gets, as a person who has never taken chemistry the class can be hard but please dedicate time to study it is possible to pass the class if you study. Stec provides practice problems and goes to them pretty clearly which is very helpful! The exams are hard though but that goes for all chem 101 classes.
She's a terrific Professor honestly. Those negative reviews are wrong! Put in the study effort and you'll get the grade you want! Simple as that. Would take her class again and again.
She had pre-exam review sesion which was really really helpful, and stay to answer students' questions at the end of the classes. She's funny sometimes. It's true that her accent is heavy .
Dr. Stec is an AMAZING PROFESSOR. If you did awful on her tests, then you should've studied appropriately and asked the right questions. The fact there are people out there that excel in her classes is a testament to the fact that it's totally possible to do well on her exams.
Dr. Stec isn't a bad professor. She is a genuinely nice professor in her office hours but I did not enjoy the class or the concepts. It was a bit fast paced and it lacked a bit of understanding to be successful on exams. The exams were not impossible but definitely hard to pass with a decent grade. The exams are your whole grade for this class!
Make sure you have a good TA or go to the MSLC for tutoring. Stec always rushes material in class and thinks she can start a whole new slideshow with just a minute left in the lecture. You really have to set aside your own time to study for this class because so much material is packed into every exam.
Stec isn't a terrible professor, but the lectures are often rushed and the class is not set up well. None of the lectures are recorded, and she doesn't make announcements for things she said in class. There was a curve in the class that I only heard about from a classmate since she never made any announcement online after mentioning it in class.
Lectures were basically her just reading off the slides and explaining calculations in the most complicated way. I wouldnt recommend unless you have to.
Stec often rushes through slides but does go over certain problems that would show up on an exam. Stec explains things in the most difficult way, I had to resort to youtube to help me and resulted in me, teaching myself the entire semester. Would not recommend unless you have to.
I was honestly a bit scared to take stec because of all of the bad reviews but she was honestly not a bad professor at all. She is very strict about course guidelines and grading, but if you put in the effort, do your homework, study, and go to class you'll be okay! The class does get curved at the end and your grade heavily relies on exams.
She's really not a bad prof. She gives good practice problems in lectures, and exams reflect material covered in class very well. The only way you can really fail is if you don't use those resources properly. Don't let the negative reviews scare you. She's overall a great professor.
The class was very fast paced, even if we had one minute left in class she would go through a slide very fast. There is a lot of homework done every week which varies about 60-80 questions + 15 more since there's two assignments due. Even if you have an exam in that class, the homework will still be a lot during that week.
10 stars.
even though she broke my stylus, she can't break my heart. She lives in the deepest trenches of my heart.+ I am in love with her, I want to marry her, yeat better. see u next year bbgirl ;))
L teacher, absolute garbage
It can't be helped that there is a lot of material in CHEM 122, so some lectures are rushed. She's not the best nor the worst instructor for this course. She does a lot of practice questions in class, so attending lectures may help a lot for you. Otherwise, you may find yourself self-teaching this subject.
Professor Stec is not a bad professor, however, she goes incredibly quickly through lectures. Attending lectures is not incredibly helpful, so you basically have to teach yourself the material completely. The two final chapters which make up 70 of 200 points on the exam were gone over in two classes, and are very poorly explained.
This professor was one of the hardest professors to work with.I have never met a professor who shows aggressive behavior towards their students.I tried complying with her but she was so rude and mean for no reason.She thinks it's right to be aggressive toward a student because she's a professor.Honestly, she destroyed my mental health with her work
Hated her when I took Chem 101, not surprised to feel the same in Chem 122. She has very little empathy towards students who are struggling in her course and the best way to seek support is to visit your TA's office hours. However the content was very similar to Chem 101 and the grade curve at the end of the semester was so low it saved many lives.
She rushes over the lectures and assigns homework for stuff we haven't even gone over yet
Professor Stec's pretty funny, however, does not joke around when it comes to Chem. The material? Hard, especially if it's new to you. 9/10 your gonna have to study on your own time outside lectures. Overall grading? Based mostly on exams, so if you start on the wrong foot, chances are you'll end that way too (or worse). (Personal: Droped=Save GPA)
Honestly, as a freshman taking Stec my first semester, it was terrible. She rushes through the slides even when there is a minute left of class. She assigns a ton of homework and since it's on Aleks, it's just stupid trying to get all the module done. The curve at the end saved most people, and the class was very exam-heavy as well.
She could be very frustrating, but her class was bearable. She provided good examples and practice problems, but I could see why several others struggled. If I hadn't had prior chem knowledge, I might have failed. She was mean and snarky to students during lectures, but was very accommodating about my LOA from the DRC, so that was very helpful.
The professor was alright, you just have to pay attention and do the work in order to receive the best grade.
she speeds through her lectures a lotttt. it was hard to follow along. i taught myself this whole course. personally, i didn't find this course difficult (although im a very bad test taker hence why i got a B). i often tuned professor stec out and did my hw during lecture and only came for attendance. trust me, ALEKS is a much better teacher
Stec should not teach, because she does not have a good teaching moral and ethical in communicating with students especially during office hour. Firstly, She never replies emails no matter how polite your email is. Secondly she never encourage student's study motivation. If she cannot make it better but please at least not turning students down.
Stec was an awful teacher, horrible at explaining easy concepts and made lecture unbearable. Tests are basically your entire grade. Better off teaching yourself the entire course, however attendance is mandatory
Feel like she doesn't know what she's doing during class,
We need new good professors that know how to teach chemistry please.
Stec was tough, but she always told you what you needed to know to be successful which I appreciated. Her slides and lectures were sometimes too fast but they were all posted afterwards.
She is a very absent professor. She makes videos that discuss what we are doing in lab, but that is similar to what we are doing already in class. Instead, she should focus on the lab procedures and make videos. Her TAs are very strict graders, and there is not a lot of lenience in the lab. Some of the lab reports take up to 10 hours to complete.
124: Lectures are usually boring. Tests are way harder than the practice problems in the homework or the class. Unlike other chem classes, there is not a lot of credit provided. If I got most of the problem right, many points would be deducted. The class is very calculation-based. It has a heavy curve cuz a lot of people struggle.
Stec is not absolutely terrible, but not the most helpful. All she really does is post lecture videos for the lab course. Replies to emails quick though. Your grade is made up of 3 mini online quizzes, lab assignments, and check in/checkout. She's very strict on grading, she checks her TAs work multiple times to ensure u don't get extra pts lol
the quizzes are worth most of your grade but are nearly impossible to complete without extensive chem knowledge. the labs and lecture vids don't help at all. the labs also take sooo long to complete, same with the postlabs, so if you have a bad TA it can really be hard to get thru
Most of the grade is determined by post-lab assignments and quizzes. The instructor is strict with grading and does not offer any grade curves. I had an 89.4% she didn't provide extra credit or round it up to an A. The lectures and slides are not very helpful. Hopefully, she takes note of these reviews and works on improving her teaching methods.
Stec's class is tough, but she provides the tools to succeed. Lectures move fast, so staying engaged and using Unstuckstudy for extra practice helped me grasp the material.
Ewa Stec can be serious but she wants her students to learn. You have to pay attention to lectures and not fool around. The exams are lots of information but if you study her slides, then youll be fine because all of the answers are on her slides.
Honestly, Professor Stec gets a bad rap. She wants her students to learn, and it's on you to focus during lectures. She can sometimes go fast when covering material, but she always posts her annotated notes quickly to Blackboard after class so you can review them. Do the Aleks homework, clickers, and study, and you can easily get an A.
Chemistry has always been a challenging subject for me, but Dr. Stec taught me so much. Her PowerPoint presentations and notes were extremely helpful. She takes her lectures and clicker questions very seriously, which I think is an effective way to teach. It's also a great way to test yourself and determine if you truly want to pursue science.
You will have to use Aleks as your primary learning source, which I didn't mind. At first, it was hard to get used to Stec's teaching because it was rather fast-paced, but her slides and annotations were useful. The class was test-heavy, but her review was great. Make sure you go to class the lecture before any exam because it is very useful.
Her slides are very well designed and she even posts her annotated slides after class. I got high 80's to mid 90's on every exam just by reading her slides over and over. Discussion worksheets were also well designed with answer keys posted. For 125 (lab), the quizzes were tougher than I expected, but overall she is a good instructor for both.
Stec gets a lot of slack simply because the class is hard. Probably the best choice as a professor for CHEM124 and has a funny sense of humor (as long as you aren't one of the people that make her mad). Just be quiet and ask questions and she's a saint. Course material is frustratingly difficult but there is a huge curve at the end.
Would not recommend. AVOID, AVOID, AVOID.
The class is not recorded and so the lectures are the only place where you will learn the content. Attendance is required through iclicker using your location. There is no assigned readings. The class is very well structured. Make sure you understand what your grade is based on. Find resources that are better organized than the ones given.
Dr. Stec was a decent professor; she explained the information well in all her lectures. If you listen and pay attention, you'll get a good grade in the class. She's not a professor who goes above and beyond but does her job well. Also, she responds to her emails very fast, in my experience.
The people calling her rude are probably the ones who leave when there's still 5 minutes in class or talk during her lectures. In reality, she's very kind and a lot more lenient with extensions than people believe, all you have to do is ask. No matter who teaches the class, chemistry is gonna be hard, so of course you have to study independently.
Do not take her.
She taught everything fine, watch her videos, and you will be well prepared for the lab. I even had her for CHEM 101, and I miss her teaching style. Good luck with your TA, though; mine was an extremely tough grader and would make us stay after class to do post-lab calculations.
Prof. Stec is honestly pretty good in my opinion. She explains her lecture as well as showing her work on problems that require math. There is a lot of ALEKS for homework, and some of them are challenging, preparing you for exam. Take Chem 101 seriously, because it teaches you all the fundamentals that is required for upper chemistry classes.
If UIC chem department replace her by any other chemists, I bet the quality of the course would improve tremendously.
This class is more about your TA than Dr. Stec, though she's kind and understanding. The hardest parts are the long lab reports and strict grading. TAs may want to help but can't always due to Stec's rubric. Still, Stec is flexible with personal issues and will adjust if needed.
Honestly she was very understanding. I was like 0.3 away from an A and I went back and looked at labflow and asked her last minute if she could regrade a lab and she did literally the day of putting in final grades.
Dr. Stec makes the lecture videos that you watch before coming to lab, but everything else in this class is based off of your TA. This class was a pain to get through, and the TA's were always unhelpful and even seemed confused at times. I went through 2 different ones but maybe I just got unlucky. You kind of just need to stick this one out
Dr. Stec is by far my favorite professor. She is very clear and wonderful at teaching. Don't underestimate this course, though, as long as you study and put effort into the course, getting a good grade is not hard.
She works quite fast, but often doesn't finish the entirety of slides and leaves work to be done at home. I do appreciate that she tends to review past content. If you are quick to grasp new content then her teaching style would be perfect. She responds quickly to emails and is great at clarifying content if you can meet with her.
I will say that professor Stec is a great professor. She teaches in a way that's not too difficult to understand once you pay attention and actually do your homework. My only problem was in the first half of the semester I couldn't really learn material because she has a somewhat of a thick accent but eventually, I was able to understand things.
She can come off as rude when answering questions sometimes but I don't think it's intentional. She's also a little funny and her classes aren't a pain at all. Her lectures are a little confusing sometimes but as long as you listen, take notes, and practice, you'll be fine for the tests.
Stec is a great professor, just do not try leaving/being loud a minute before class ends. The way she teaches is concise and always provides us with good practice problems. She gives a lot of I-Clickers but they help with upcoming tests. She gives good shortcuts to problems.
She is probably the best professor to take for chem at UIC. She is very sweet and caring and does a lot of practice problems in class which are helpful for the exams. She also posts her annotated notes after the lecture which really helps. The class is tough at first but once you get the hang of it, its not that hard. Make sure to study her slides
I actually really enjoyed having her as my professor for chem 101!! I cannot speak for the harder chem courses but i found that for 101 she was a solid professor, she does read off slides, however, she does annotate them and complete practice problems in class! she'll later post her annotated slides for students and offers tons of practice problems
I would say she's a standard professor. She is not overly mean, or overly nice. She sticks to the material and is a great teacher. As long as you're a good student, you should not have any problems.
The professor isn't bad but her lectures are not as helpful. She makes chem seem harder than what it is and overdoes things. 3 exams and 3 quizzes that aren't far apart so you better study a lot and basically teach yourself everything or pay crazy attention in class which is hard.
She's straightforward and can seem a bit mean(but isn't). I liked how her class and lectures were structured. Discussions were really helpful! Tests follow her guide, so review it,do Aleks,and practice the questions before the exam.Don't cheat on your hw's, you'll regret it!Go through discussion questions or look up similar ones online to practice.
Great professor. Lab manual doesnt align exactly with instructions and post labs can be confusing.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
81%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
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Predicted Grade
B+
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-0.70 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEM233
4.3
(4)CHEM124
3.5
(4)CHEM101
3.0
(103)CHEM112
3.0
(7)CHEM122
2.9
(49)Difficulty by Course
chem125
3.9
CHEM233
3.8
CHEM122
3.7
CHEM123
3.7
CHEM101
3.6