3.2

Rene Fournier

Chemistry - York University - Keele Campus

3.2
Quality
3.0
Difficulty
36%
Would Retake
85
Reviews
3.2
Quality
3.0
Difficulty
3.2
Helpful
3.2
Clarity

36%

Would Retake

85

Reviews

Rating Distribution
Official

5

31

4

16

3

7

2

9

1

22

What Students Say

He may have a sexy accent, but please avoid this man at all costs

CHEM1000 - 3.0 rating

He seems friendly at first, but in actuality he couldn't care less if you succeed

CHEM3011 - 2.0 rating
Class Info

Attendance Mandatory

30%

Textbook Required

100%

Grade Predictor

Your expected effort level

LowHigh

Predicted Grade

A-

95% confidence
Based on 22 grades
Most common grades:
A+ (12)
A (4)
Incomplete (4)
Grade Distribution
A(16)B(2)C(1)D(1)F(0)A-/B+(2)
Based on 28 reported grades
A+: 12
A: 4
Incomplete: 4
B+: 2
Common Tags
Get ready to read (4)
Hilarious (3)
Respected (2)
Inspirational (2)
Caring (2)
Amazing lectures (2)
Gives good feedback (2)
Lecture heavy (2)
Rating Trend

Declining

-0.41 avg change
Mar
Apr
May
Jan
Apr
May
Last 6 months
Ratings by Course

1000

5.0

(1)

CHEM2011

5.0

(5)

CHEM3010

5.0

(1)

CHEM2010

4.3

(6)

CHEM3011

3.5

(4)
+6 more courses
Difficulty by Course

CHEM

5.0

CHM1001

5.0

SCCHEM1001

5.0

1001

3.5

CHEM1000

3.1

Reviews (85)
4.0
5.0
CHEM1000
Apr 4, 2003

One of the nicest men on campus. Really willing to help students.

5.0
1.0
CHEM1001
Mar 3, 2004

A real sweeet teacher, always willing to help students! Don't miss his lectures! When you attend his class, you may not even have to read ur book, he takes some quizes at end of class everyday just to test ur knowledge which really helps! has an accent 2

5.0
2.0
CHEM1001
Mar 28, 2004

The nicest prof.

5.0
1.0
CHEM1001
May 3, 2004

What a fabulous professor! And a gentleman too. Not every professor nods to students outside the class he knows attend his class! Hopefully he can teach Chem 1000 too so first year students can be saved from the devil that is Mr. Hastie :) !

5.0
3.0
CHEM1001
Sep 22, 2004

french dudes are cool

5.0
3.0
CHEM1001
Nov 9, 2004

Great guy, really nice, funny, and he teaches well too. ALMOST made me want to take another chemistry class (almost).

5.0
2.0
CHEM1001
Jan 12, 2005

sooooooo funny! He is really nice and his accent is great. He really wants his students to do well so takes part of the lecture time for little self quizzes and taking up questions. His planned jokes are the best though!

4.0
2.0
CHEM1001
Feb 3, 2005

GREAT prof! Nice and approachable... complete opposite of Hastie :) Loving the accent as well!

5.0
1.0
CHEM1001
Mar 4, 2005

Mr Fournier is the best...he's nice, funny and teaches really well..I love his cute french accent (it's so funny when he says "eccetera..")Vive Monsieur Fournier...vous êtes le meilleur!! :-)

4.0
1.0
CHEM1001
Mar 5, 2005

He is a good professor. His tests are very easy. Not as entertaining as Hastie but he tries.

5.0
2.0
CHEM2010
Apr 2, 2005

this class is stupid...but he does as much as he can to help the students to do well...even to tell you whats on the next test to help you out as bonus...his new glasses make him look like Waldo..

2.0
4.0
CHEM2010
Apr 11, 2005

This class is very difficult, regardless. His teaching style is fairly good but his tests are brutal and hard. The layout of the marks is horrible to, very dissapointed....

1.0
5.0
CHEM
May 14, 2005

No Comments

1.0
5.0
CHEM
Jun 15, 2005

not nearly as intimidating as hastie, but still made the material all freaking confusing for no reason. wasn't really available to answer questions..that could have been because there were about 200 ppl in a line up after class trying to make some sense out of his lecture

4.0
2.0
CHEM1001
Jun 20, 2005

His lectures were interesting and he solved a lot of problems/sample questions during lectures. His tests were easy/fair.

1.0
5.0
CHM1001
Jun 23, 2005

His lectures where incredibly boring and confusing. I just got pissed off hearing this guy try to teach becuase he sucked so much. i dreaded going to his class so i skipped most of his lectures.

4.0
2.0
1001
Jul 4, 2005

He is a really good teacher... I really enjoyed his lectures. His tests are fair, except for the PH section... either study your ass off or don't right that test. His lectures are really helpful so try not to miss any

5.0
3.0
CHEM1001
Aug 23, 2005

very good

2.0
4.0
CHEM1001
Jan 10, 2006

boring and not clear. Tests are ok, but not related to the stuffin class

4.0
2.0
CHEM1001
Feb 4, 2006

a good prof...but sometimes boring

2.0
5.0
CHEM1001
Mar 12, 2006

extremly boring, tests are extremely difficult. Got A+ in chem 1000 and i'm barely passin' his tests although i'm studying much harder. And he thinks he is such a great prof!

1.0
5.0
CHEM1001
Mar 15, 2006

he is naturally a bad prof. He might try his best at explaining the material but he can't. He is not clear and his tests are pretty difficult. He gives questions that he did not talk much about them. I suggest you not to take any course with him.

2.0
5.0
CHEM1001
Mar 26, 2006

he is very boring; doesnt explain properly and his tests are very hard!

5.0
2.0
CHEM1001
Mar 29, 2006

He is a very fair prof, tests are hard, but he is good at explaining things.

5.0
3.0
CHEM1001
Mar 30, 2006

He is an excellent first year chemistry teacher. His hand-written notes are much easier to understand and keep up with when compared to verbal lecture or powerpoint. Good sense of humour. Very reasonable tests, even easy.

2.0
4.0
CHEM1001
Apr 1, 2006

teaches in class as if you were an elementary school student but tests have no relevance to his lectures. Constantly draws pictures in class which have nothing to do with what he will be testing. He doesnt know how to write tests, he makes some easy and some impossible.

3.0
4.0
CHEM1001
Apr 13, 2006

boring teacher, his accent gets annoying after a while, his tests are hArd! the material on there does not relate to the questions in text. I had an A+ in chem1000, and hardly got an A in this one. Pietro is 10X better and wish he was teaching this course too

4.0
3.0
CHEM1001
Apr 16, 2006

He's a very good chem prof.. he just does not know how to balance his tests out evenly..the exam was ridiculously and impossibly long, which obviously, wasn't only his fault..i do not like the fact that ppls are crying because they are barely passing with an A..sorry but maybe you guys should thank him that you guys are getting As instead of crying

2.0
3.0
CHEM1001
May 10, 2006

He neither teaches good nor have a good personality. His method of teaching is guess and solve. He does not offer any solid solution to the questions he asks. Don't expect that you can learn anything from his lectures.

1.0
5.0
CHEM1001
May 18, 2006

poor teaching and har and unfair tests.(as simple as that)

5.0
2.0
CHEM1001
Jun 17, 2006

Fournier was a great professor and this was only accentuated by the fact that the material in CHEM 1001 was much more interesting than in CHEM 1000. If you actually took the time to become reasonably familiar with the material, his tests were fair yet challenging in that they require thinking rather than memorization, which is always welcome.

1.0
5.0
SCCHEM1001
Jul 8, 2006

Very Hard!

5.0
1.0
CHEM1001
Nov 11, 2007

he was a great prof! not hard like people say so. very helpful. i got b+ in chem 1000 but an A in his class.choose him over other profs!

5.0
3.0
CHEM2010
Feb 7, 2008

Nice guy, goes the extra mile to teach you coz he know his stuff unlike some profs!

4.0
3.0
CHEM1001
Mar 14, 2009

makes the lectures really interesting .. is funny .. helpful .. explains in a great way ... forces concepts into your head

5.0
3.0
CHEM2010
May 31, 2009

Take CHEM 2010 with no other professor, Rene is the man. The course if difficult enough as it is, and the book (Engel) we used was just horrendous. But i am glad he was teaching because he made the material interesting, his lectures were captivating.Oh one more thing, you miss one lecture and you are done for.PS: he has a sexy accent.

5.0
3.0
CHEM2010
Jun 11, 2009

This professor is amazing. The course itself is a hard but a very interesting one( at least for me). Attend all the lectures and you will do great. The book is totally useless and has vague concepts. Very abstract!!!

5.0
3.0
CHEM1001
Sep 26, 2009

he is great prof. i went to every single lecture even tough it was 3hrs from 7-10pm. if u just study the notes from his lectures, and do the questions from the textbook u are guaranteed an A.

5.0
3.0
CHEM2011
Sep 19, 2010

Has the best explanations in the whole entire science and engineering faculty!! A GREAT TEACHER!

4.0
1.0
CHEM2010
Oct 29, 2010

awesome teacher. does not post lectures online so attendance is mandatory.

5.0
3.0
CHEM1001
Apr 15, 2011

attendance is mandatory for his class, he doesnt post any slides online. everything is written/printed out while he lectures. also he does a couple interactive class questions which is good to see if u get the basics or not. also its very important to study his notes before tests, hes bound to put something similar to his exp. questions

4.0
4.0
CHEM1001
May 5, 2011

His tests are hard, especially the last questions. I dont know but I seem like the only one who actually like CHEM 1000 better. Make sure you keep up with the readings and assigned problems.

5.0
1.0
CHEM2011
Jun 18, 2011

He is funny, down to earth, and just amazing! You haveto attend his class otherwise you'll suffer on the test because the tests are directly from the notes! One of the best professors ive had!! Attended every class, did all my homework, and got an A+ :)

5.0
2.0
CHEM1001
Jun 19, 2011

This is a great prof! His tests are easy if you use his notes from class. I did and i studied from the notes and i got a B in 1001. He's better than the other profs for the section so i suggest picking him from the other two profs teaching. You wont regret it. He's funny too!

4.0
3.0
CHEM1001
Aug 6, 2011

Good prof. Tries to help you. Found it really interesting that he wrote a copy of his slides down to make sure his pace is ok. can get a bit boring at times. but the prof tries so cant blame him. if u have a prob with this prof, its cuz either a)u shouldnt be in uni b)u shouldnt be taking any chems or c) u shouldnt be in uni or taking chem. anywher

3.0
5.0
CHEM1001
Jun 29, 2012

Pretty good proff. explains as many times as he can and tries to be really helpful. Tests are okay too.

5.0
2.0
CHEM2011
Oct 8, 2013

He is a Great Professor explains well and even likes to make jokes plus his exams are from his notes

5.0
2.0
CHEM2011
Feb 17, 2014

He is really enjoying what he is doing, and it translates so in his lectures. He is funny, and simply a nice person. His tests are fair, really. It's not a problem to get a good grade if you just some effort. Most questions are not there to trick you

5.0
1.0
CHEM2011
Feb 20, 2014

He was one of my favorite prof all his mid-term were from his notes just do all the assignments and read form his notes and you will get an A.

5.0
1.0
1000
Mar 24, 2014

Fournier explains concepts clearly and concisely. His lecture notes are excellent but not available online, so go to class and take notes. Make sure you understand each concept he's teaching by re-enforcing with the textbook. Do all recommended questions and extra questions on the side. A 95%+ is easily attainable if you understand; don't memorize.

2.0
4.0
CHEM3011
Nov 1, 2015

He seems friendly at first, but in actuality he couldn't care less if you succeed. He wrote a midterm that was completely unrepresentative of what he taught in class and was somehow surprised when the class average was 43. He does the bare minimum and did not listen to student requests to provide more support or ways to salvage their mark.

4.0
2.0
CHEM1000
Dec 16, 2015

Decent professor. Tests are fairly simple as long as you pay attention in class, and understand how to use the formulas inside out (ex. asked once on a test for us to rearrange a formula in terms of other variables). However, the final exam seems tougher in comparison to the 3 tests, so be prepared to really buckle down and study for it!

4.0
3.0
CHEM1000
Grade: B+
Dec 25, 2015

pretty good professor, teaches well, fairly clear. Tests are moderate. Would say choose this guy over Pietro, but expect to learn a lot by yourself. He's a bit behind other classes. If he tells you not to memorize the formulas for the tests, DO NOT LISTEN TO HIM, do memorize, because your'e going to need to use them even though he said you won't.

3.0
1.0
CHEM1000
Grade: A
Jan 3, 2016

Great prof. Always took his time and made jokes every now & then. Would have him as my prof again. Tests are simple but the exam was eh.

4.0
3.0
CHEM1000
Grade: A
Jan 7, 2016

His lectures are more interesting than most Chem profs, but don't expect an A+ in this course because the final exam will be very different from the lecture content and midterms. He doesn't really care how the class performs but does a good job getting everyone to participate. Make sure to know the units used for formula variables WELL.

3.0
5.0
CHEM1000
Grade: C+
Apr 3, 2016

He may have a sexy accent, but please avoid this man at all costs. He made CHEM 1000 difficult, lectures are not recorded, no PowerPoints are uploaded, so this means you have to learn it by yourself if you get sick/have to miss class. He's nice, but he's not for me.

3.0
2.0
CHEM1000
Apr 12, 2016

He was a really good professor. Tests were fair and he really tries to engage with everyone during lectures with his random Multiple choice problems. But you gotta come to class and take notes. Overall pretty good prof :)

3.0
3.0
CHEM3011
Grade: B
Dec 26, 2017
Would take again

His Midterms (all 2 of them mind you) weren't that difficult so as long as you did the assigned questions he gave from the textbook and I would highly recommend doing so as he takes clear "inspiration" out of them for the test questions. The exam, however, is were he screwed a lot of people over and bumped my markdown considerably.

Get ready to read
Tests? Not many
Tests are tough
4.0
2.0
CHEM3011
Apr 12, 2018
Would take again

super nice guy. easy marker. easy tests. nothing to complain about. either u get it or you dont.

Respected
Get ready to read
Amazing lectures
1.0
4.0
CHEM1000
Mar 16, 2019
Wouldn't take again

Cannot explain concepts well at ALL. Tries to keep the class entertained by little problems but cannot teach to save his life. Students who succeeded in his course must have had a solid background in chemistry previously or heavily relied on self-study because he is terrible at teaching the concepts himself and is hard to follow. Avoid him.

Participation matters
Skip class? You won't pass.
Tough grader
5.0
2.0
CHEM3010
Mar 28, 2019
Would take again

Excellent lectures, and even better tutorials. Sexy accent. Do the practice problems, this is the only class I actually used the textbook in because it is so well written. Read the part on quantum entanglement/teleportation. This was a top class with a top prof.

Inspirational
1.0
4.0
1001
Grade: D
Jul 7, 2023

I did not enjoy his lectures at all, very boring and he just reads the slides. The slides are not even good so you have to rely on textbook and if you have problems with chemistry in general, reading it by yourself and no help would be a nightmare

Get ready to read
5.0
2.0
CHEM3011
Grade: A+
Dec 19, 2023
Would take again

My guy. Do every practice problem he assigns. His lectures are great but in my opinion, are supplementary to the main bulk of the class which is applying knowledge on the practice questions. He curves almost every test to A 70-75 average, super nice guy, offers a make up oral exam if u didnt do the participation in class. Final exam harder but fair

Lots of homework
Beware of pop quizzes
Caring
1.0
3.0
1001
Grade: Not sure yet
Mar 2, 2024

Honestly I would not say he is the best lecturer as his lectures are confusing and hard to follow and his examples are hard to understand as he is just talking about the answer rather then working through the problem with us which would be more beneficial to know how he got to the answer, he is also not great with posting lectures on time.

1.0
5.0
CHEM1001
Grade: Incomplete
Mar 7, 2024

Horrible does not explain well at all, I would recommend taking another prof if you can

1.0
3.0
1001
Grade: Incomplete
Mar 14, 2024

Horrible prof avoid his class at all costs, can not teach at all

1.0
3.0
CHEM1001
Grade: Incomplete
Mar 20, 2024

I have no idea what he is talking about in class. You have to teach yourself reading the textbook. One of the worst professors along with Dr. William Pietro.

1.0
5.0
CHEM1001
Grade: Incomplete
Mar 21, 2024

He makes a simple concept extremely difficult to understand. He spent 15 minutes solving a simple problem yet students are still confused.

2.0
4.0
1001
Grade: A+
Apr 11, 2024

Prof Fournier seems like a nice person. However, his lectures lack excitement and make you wanna sleep all the time. Dont really recommend him if u wanna save ur GPA

1.0
5.0
CHEM1001
Grade: A+
Apr 14, 2024

Terrible!!! The only tag I can use is hilarious because he could never speak in a clear enough voice to understand him. I had a friend attending the course who was trying to learn from his lectures and my advice to him was to give up and read the textbook. He started understanding the content only after aborting all lectures.

Hilarious
1.0
5.0
CHEM1001
Grade: A+
Apr 17, 2024

Professor Fournier's lectures were very boring and difficult to listen to. He is very disorganized with two different slides and he only posts the second set of slides after class. When a student asked him how to take notes without the slides he said, "just sit back, relax, listen and you don't need to take notes."(these quotes are not exact words)

5.0
3.0
CHEM1001
Grade: A+
Apr 20, 2024
Would take again

Actually I quite enjoyed his class. He doesn't respond to repetitive questions. Don't expect him to spoon feed you by going through all steps that you supposed to know by then. Dr Fournier is very very knowledgeable. You can asked him questions beyond the scope of a class, and he won't turn you down by saying "these are not in the objectives".

Amazing lectures
Gives good feedback
Respected
5.0
3.0
CHEM1001
Grade: A+
Apr 20, 2024
Would take again

He teach very well and in a great length to make sure we learn. He provide his notes as a supplementary material, so you don't need to take note and can fully attend his lecture. highly recommended. I don't know how everyone rated him poorly yet everyone got A+ !!!!!

1.0
5.0
CHEM1001
Grade: B
Apr 23, 2024

Worst prof I have ever come across. Cannot teach at all and relied on YouTube videos throughout the whole course. Would not take if you want a high GPA

2.0
1.0
CHEM1001
Grade: A+
Apr 26, 2024

boring lectures but very easy exams as they relate to the slides. nice and knowledgeable professor overall.

Test heavy
1.0
1.0
CHEM1001
Grade: A+
Apr 27, 2024

His lectures were very boring and it was difficult to follow. He has two different sets of slides and only posts the second set later. When a student asked how to take notes without the slides he said to sit back, relax and just listen to his lectures without taking notes. The only way I got an A+ was by reading the textbook.

5.0
3.0
CHEM1001
Grade: A
May 14, 2024
Would take again

Nice professor and nice guy. Have accent but totally fine. Really patient and respectful. Clear lectures and explanation. I don't really like the ppt he made tho. No matter what he still a really good professor. Will take again if i can

Amazing lectures
Inspirational
Hilarious
1.0
4.0
CHEM1001
Grade: A+
May 15, 2024

Very boring lectures

3.0
3.0
CHEM1001
Grade: A
May 18, 2024

He is an okay professor, however, his content is a little messy and goes back and forth between two sets of slides which can be a little confusing. He did take over from stephanie so I will give him the benefit of the doubt. He is very sweet and understanding. Has a bit of an accent which can make him hard to understand sometimes.

1.0
3.0
CHEM1001
Grade: A+
May 18, 2024

The difficulty doesn't matter, since all the sections have same exam. However, the prof is really bad in teaching......I got A+ without attending his class, since I find out that it is wasting time to attend his lecture. Btw, my overall Gpa is 9.0, this is the only prof I don't recommend.

1.0
3.0
CHEM1001
Grade: Not sure yet
Jan 22, 2025

Don't waste your time by going to the lectures. You won't learn anything, just do textbook questions.

Get ready to read
1.0
5.0
1001
Apr 9, 2025

The lectures were really boring. More than half the class was gone by the 3rd lecture. He would mostly read off the slides. The course material was poorly structured. Would never take his class again.

Lecture heavy
4.0
1.0
CHEM1001
Grade: A+
May 1, 2025
Would take again

Everything you need to know is on the slides, but they can be a bit hard to follow. Overall, he was really funny, caring, and always answered questions thoroughly.

Hilarious
Caring
5.0
3.0
CHEM1001
Grade: A+
May 15, 2025
Would take again

Fournier is a great professor! He explains things very well, and his slides are quite informative. He is always very happy to answer questions, and organizes his tutorial session well. I would also recommend taking notes in class, as his lecture recordings are not the best. People also complain about his accent, but it's completely understandable.

Gives good feedback
Lecture heavy
Accessible outside class
1.0
4.0
CHEM1001
Grade: B+
May 31, 2025
Would take again

He was a sweet guy, but I'm not gonna lie, his teaching style wasn't the best. He just read off the slides, which were quite useless and not helpful at all. I did self-study for that class using the textbook and still got a decent grade in this course. I don't know how there are good reviews about his teaching, his accent was hard to understand.

Class Info

Attendance Mandatory

30%

Textbook Required

100%

Grade Predictor

Your expected effort level

LowHigh

Predicted Grade

A-

95% confidence
Based on 22 grades
Most common grades:
A+ (12)
A (4)
Incomplete (4)
Grade Distribution
A(16)B(2)C(1)D(1)F(0)A-/B+(2)
Based on 28 reported grades
A+: 12
A: 4
Incomplete: 4
B+: 2
Common Tags
Get ready to read (4)
Hilarious (3)
Respected (2)
Inspirational (2)
Caring (2)
Amazing lectures (2)
Gives good feedback (2)
Lecture heavy (2)
Rating Trend

Declining

-0.41 avg change
Mar
Apr
May
Jan
Apr
May
Last 6 months
Ratings by Course

1000

5.0

(1)

CHEM2011

5.0

(5)

CHEM3010

5.0

(1)

CHEM2010

4.3

(6)

CHEM3011

3.5

(4)
+6 more courses
Difficulty by Course

CHEM

5.0

CHM1001

5.0

SCCHEM1001

5.0

1001

3.5

CHEM1000

3.1

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