I do not enjoy Fender Bender's teaching style. He was quite bad.

Very BAD teacher!!! Don't take him unless you HAVE to!!!! BAD

Nice clothes! Test have nothing to do with lecture or book

He is by far the worst prof. that I have ever had the misfortune of having.

not good prof, tests are way too hard

he is the worst,he is very smart, but can't frickin' teach or converywhathewants

Makes you feel dumb. Test are too hard for intro level class

Gives no explanation for labs, difficult grader, never present during class

If your name is Chang and you wrote the book plan on failing Bender=devil

horrible, teaches at a level too high for course, tests don't make any sense

Lectures do not correspond with tests. Get a tutor if you want to learn chem.

This is a teacher for very smart chem majors. Everyone else will be lost

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Structure? No. Helpfulness? No. Material fitted to class level? NO. Avoid this gaming freak at all costs

HORRIBLE!!! Avoid at all cost. He is to smart for his own good and he thinks all his students are as smart as he. Teaches a 100 level class at a upper class level. And his wardrobe, lets just say a color blind dog could do better.

he is in the wrong profession. easily the most confusing teacher i have ever had. should have listened when all my friends told me to slowly turn and run the other direction. but i didnt listen to advice and now im teaching myself. passing is a 39!

Will not help. Refuses to answer questions. Tests are so impossible that 25% is passing and 1/4 of the class still fails.

Hey Bender, could you explain this to me? (insert head nodding and making you feel like an idiot) Class average is a D, everyone fails everything, ridiculously hard. DONT TAKE HIM

The guy is easily a genius, but can't teach to save his soul. Refuses to answer questions or give you help if you try to find him outside of class. Also has a knack for making you feel like the stupidest person in the universe.

I have had lots of chem before and this was by far the worst. He is the worst professor to be teaching 116. His tests are impossible, his lectures not makes sense and he doesnt use the book.

this is the only class i have felt hopeless in because no amout of time studying would be reflected on my exams. he never explains how to solve problems which results in questions that you have never seen before. this was my worst grade ever. switch profs

HORRIBLE. His test questions all build on the very first problem so if you get that wrong, you're screwed. Has quizzes on material we haven't even covered yet...not to mention he has no grasp of the mechanics of writing (floating commas/spelling errors)

his tests are absurd and he is on academic probation because too many students are failing his class--therefore, his grading system is bunk and tests way too difficult

Bender, aka Captain Morgan, is a terrible teacher for lower level classes. tests are terrible and irrelevant to material learned in class

Man, this guy is hard. Captain Morgan as students have nicknamed him is way too smart in chemistry to be teaching us lowely 115 chem students. If you are obsessed with Chem, you might like it, but chances are not.

I hated his class.His lectures were pointless and I did not learn anything.The whole time I was lost.His tests were impossible.When I asked him for help he replied with a question or told me to read the book, which I had already done many times.He expects you to know what he is supposed to teach you

DON'T TAKE THIS PROF. He doesn't teach he gives examples about things you haven't learned. I thought I had done well on the tests but then got them back! I did well in 115 and am close to failing this class.

He is a very bad professor. He does not teach well, and he does not sympathize for the students. We are there to learn, yet he does not care whether we learn or not. He grades horribly. He will mark parts of answers right and then give no credit (even though he "gives partial credit"). Very arrogant

Very bad professor. He doesn't teach what is in the book, rather by giving examples that relate to the book. I'm sooo sick of his examples that don't correlate to what he puts on the test. His tests are impossible. He doesn't try to help students, so don't waste time visiting his office.

He needs to get back on the Black Pearl and sail away. Horrible horrible HORRIBLE.

Horrible teacher, like many others in class I studied very hard, but what he teaches in class and what you are supposed to read in the book are not on the tests. He may be smart, I'll give him that but he is an exceptionally poor instructor. I've gone to his office many times and could never get a straight answer from him. Grades on large curve but

I would never recommend a proffesor like him. His tests will make you go crazy, not matter how much you study. There is no point to the difficulty of his exams.

I came into this class with a strong affinity to chemistry along with a pretty good understanding of the subject but after his class, I ABSOLUTELY hated chemistry! His discussions are totally irrelevant to his exams which are pretty much impossible to ace even if you do study. Don't buy the book because I never used it once the entire semester.

By far, the worst prof. I have ever had...and I am not just saying that. He doesn't help students at all. The quizzes he gives in discussion are never about anything we have learned in lecture. His exams aren't about anything we have learned in lecture either. GET OUT NOW! DO NOT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR!!!!! He looks like a pirate too!

Don't Take the class with Bender!!!

I have gone to other professors with his practice exams and they take one look and know who it's from. He makes me frown on the inside. A lot. My insides have never been so frowny before.

GET OUT OF HIS CLASS! You will not learn anything. The class average is always low, even with is grading scale. An 80% is an A, and the class average is still a C which is less than 50%

although he is very intelligent, he is a horrible teacher. his lectures are a waste of time, his tests are ridiculous when compared to lecture and the quizzes are stupid. get out.

HORRIBLE TEACHER

Can he get audited, or something? He is terrible! Unless you have a PhD in chemistry, I wouldn't advise taking him, because you will be lost. AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID!!! Honestly, should not be introductory chemistry. Perhaps may be good at instructing at the masters level, but for intro chem? Hell no.

He is the worst professor I have ever taken at GV. He does not explain anything to you if you ask. In discussion, he does not even do his own practice quizzes and you can write whatever on the quizzes as answers and he will not help if it is wrong. The lectures are confusing and you dont get many practice problems. I would never take him

He is the worst Professor in GV don't take him

WORST TEACHER I HAVE EVER HAD! Believe what you read when people say he is the $worst teacher ever. I did everything I could went to his office hours, read the book, practice tests and problems, study groups, i even sat in on SLA sections that I wasnt registered in to get more help and I still didn't understand it! Never take his class.

aweful teacher, didnt have a lot of chem knowledge before college, went in for help told me to come back later...completely ruined my confidence, cannot prepare for test in anyway

boooo

He is the worst prof I have ever had! It is so hard to study because few things on the test are like what we did in class. All he does is super long examples.

Worst teacher ever! Lectures were about random experiments people have done and did not pertain to the exams at all. I would not recommend him unless you can teach yourself.

Never ever ever take this professor. You will regret it. I am a 4.0 student and studied 25 hours for the final and at least 15 for each test and never got an A. I walked away from tests not knowing what any of it had to do with CHEM 116. He uses experiments to base his tests/lectures on. Completely pointless.

This professor has no business teaching a 100 level course. No graded homework, only 3 exams pass or fail. He doesn't explain the material. He should be fired!

His lectures are hard to follow because he is everywhere on the board. And don't expect to get good grades on the exams because he seems to come up with questions that are supposed to trick you and covers things and were NEVER covered in class. Sorry if you get him, get out if you can...

Not good at all. I have done so bad and he was no help when I asked him for advice.

This class is the hardest class i have took. If you have him drop. I would study all the time and go to other classes to try to learn the material. He only has exams and there are really hard and no good way to study for them. He teaches them like a upper level class.

Dr. Bender is a genius, and that is very apparent. I have no doubt that he would do well teaching upper level chemistry courses. HOWEVER, I have never gotten below an A in chemistry and this year I was completely lost. Nothing he discusses is on the exams, and he is so hard to follow. My chem tutor and other teachers were even confused. RUN AWAY!

Awful. I was really looking forward to this class and he just ruined chemistry for me. He is condescending and demeaning. If you asked questions he didn't want to help. If you can, switch out of his class and find a new instructor because he is downright awful.

He was a horrible teacher. He did not clarify the concepts and had impossible exams that he does curve, but it is still very hard to understand. DO NOT take him at all if you want to actually understand Chemistry 115. I went to the Science Success Center and doctorates in chemistry couldn't help me with my work.

Worst professor ever. He never helped with anything. Test extremely hard. Switch out.

Three years of college and Bender ruined my 4.0 GPA. Material was hard but attainable, until he made it nearly impossible. Tests did not reflect lecture material well, and he was rarely at his office hours. If I didn't have prior chem experience I would have been screwed... If you care about your grades, RUN AWAY!

Professor Bender is a very intelligent man, but I wouldn't know, most of what he said went right over my head. He has a very large curve on tests but thats only because no one in the class will get above a 70% without it. Do not take this class if he is your professor!

I absolutely loved Chemistry coming into this class and thought I had a really great understanding of prior knowledge, but this class made me switch my major. I no longer enjoy Chemistry, and I feel this class was dreaded everyday. Tests are super hard no matter how hard you study or read. Unclear in lectures. Avoid at all costs if you can.

If you're taking him for chem 116 GET A DIFFERENT PROF His lectures have nothing to do with his tests and he is too smart to teach this class. Hard to relate to and obviously a genius. I could not pass the tests and when I talked to him about my grade he talked down to me as if it was as easy as pie. I'm sure he's a good guy, but it's not worth it

If you are in his class, I would highly recommend getting a tutor and getting to know as many people in your class as you can. You are all in it together, and having study groups and using as many outside resources as you can will help you keep a decent grade in his class. Worst professor I have had, good luck.

DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS WITH PROFESSOR BENDER. He is a wonderfully smart man but a horrible, horrible professor. The tests are extremely difficult and despite the insane curve he applies, it's almost impossible to get a decent grade. Please, do yourself a favor and avoid this professor at all costs.

Easily the worst professor I have had so far. His lectures do nothing with his exams and he has no interest on trying to help you learn the material if you don't get it. If you care about your grade do not take this professor.

Bender is far too intelligent to be teaching this easy level of a class. He thinks that the students will all understand the material at the same capacity he understands it and uses examples that are completely irrelevant to the concepts being learned. The lectures are all over the place and it is hard to keep track of what he is teaching when.

He's obviously very smart, but he shouldn't be teaching intro chem classes! People told me to switch out and I should have listened. He covers things very quickly, especially considering most students in his gen chem classes haven't taken chemistry in a while. He makes you feel stupid if you don't get a concept, and is a tough grader.

Horrendous professor. We had no tests leading up to the midterm exam, and then the midterm was 45% of the total grade for the course. Never really taught specific concepts in class, but instead would just spend the entire class period on one problem. If you're lucky enough to get a review sheet, he makes you go to the CSC to get answers. 0/10.

he might be the absolute worst professor at grand valley. His exams are barely relevant to the lectures and his exam "reviews" consist of content that is of a 300 level course. His statements of replacing exam grades with final grades if they are better are lies and the webassign homework is unannounced and is on topics that haven't been taught.

Probably one of the smartest guys I've ever had talk to me, but probably the worst professor. Lectures cover zero of the material on tests and web assign so might as well not go to class honestly, and everyone in the Chem Success Center will know you're his student when you ask them one of his questions on an exam review FROM A DIFFERENT CLASS.

Dr. Bender is obviously very intelligent, I took CHM 116 with him my freshman year and it ruined chemistry for me all the way up through CHM461. His lectures are not related to any specific topic, he talks about his research or things that interest him and tries to relate them. I've heard he's a good lab prof, but he should not lecture whatsoever.

If I had not taken AP chem in high school, I would have failed this class. Don't get me wrong, Bender knows his stuff about chemistry, but cannot teach it at a 115 level. Tests have nothing to do with lecture. Find another professor to take if you can.

Worst professor I have ever experienced. Tests were nothing that he talked about in lecture or the homework. Nothing ever made sense and didn't explain anything. Avoid him!!! So many people fail his class because its SO hard

Doesn't care about students at all, won't explain ANYTHING, super unhelpful, tough grader, I get that Orgo Chem lab is hard but he made it so much harder, I hated coming to class.

Super smart, not the best Professor

Dr. Bender is so smart in chemistry but he's a tough guy, you will be sitting in lecture blank mind and exams are so tough. get ready to spend time with your tutor.

What he teaches in class and the homework he gives out is nothing like the exams. I showed up to every lecture and took vigorous notes, but honestly I could've shown up for half of them and understood the same amount of things. You have to go to the chem success center to understand anything. Terrible experience despite doing ok in his course.

Teaching style is very hard to follow and his notes are not 100% helpful when it comes to homework and exams. When asking for help he was somewhat condescending in his replies. I took many visits to the CSC which was EXTREMELY HELPFUL but exam questions were asked in completely different ways than how our notes and homework were set up.

Not a good teacher. His exams and worksheets are not related to the class content, so you have to guess what is going to be in the exams. I felt constantly lost because he made the topics harder to understand. If he is the only teacher available, I will recommend going into his class, expecting nothing but being confused. Good luck!

Test content is completely unrelated to lecture material. Lacks engagement with students and is not invested in the class. Would not recommend taking him. Avoid if at all possible

Does not create test related to content!! Also does not show example problems in class. It was truly a struggle until I decided to drop to get a better professor!!

Freshmen beware!! Avoid John Bender at all costs. He is legitimately the worst lecture professor I have ever had in my time at GVSU. His explanations are useless for understanding the problems and his tests are nothing like the reviews that he gives us to study. If you get him, switch out immediately.

I would highly recommend not taking Benders class there is minimal assignments placed in the grade book. . He doesn't teach he states information and shuts down students questions. Also he is a terrible grader as he has marked students wrong for the correct answer but you have to go to office hours to find out.

This professor is very challenging to have. He spends his lectures going over theories and the "why" behind what we are learning but does not give a lot of examples or problems you would see on an exam. He is such a heavy grader on tests and homework but doesn't give a lot of it so the assignments he gives are a big part of your grade.

john bender is not a good professor at all. he is rude when asked a question and tests on material not taught. please avoid if you can. the university needs to seriously find a replacement

Grade is based on 4 exams. Lecture is very easy problems, but the exams are pretty difficult. He has his unique way of explaining things.

I enjoyed 115 so much, I had an amazing prof and was a bit excited for 116. 116 with Bender made me want to cry every day. He is very obviously an intelligent man who knows chm very well, but there is such a disconnect between his knowledge and teaching it. He expects too much for a gen chm prof. Passed because of an insane cuve 60%=B

I don't even have Dr. Bender for my Orgo Lab (CHM 246); however, he subbed for one of my labs when Dr. Hart was unavailable, and it was the worst lab I've ever had. I asked him a reasonable question, and he looked me up and down like I was stupid, and then finally gave me an answer after waiting for 10 seconds. Also, he whisper-talks. Frustrating.