2.3
Quality3.7
Difficulty29%
Would Retake125
Reviews29%
Would Retake
125
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
125 total ratings5
20
4
15
3
11
2
17
1
62
What Students Say
“Worst Professor I have ever had at the University of Guelph”
CHEM3430 - 1.0 rating“The way he presents the information in class is terrible however”
CHEM3430 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
45%
Textbook Required
22%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.31 avg changeRatings by Course
1040AND1050
3.0
(6)CHEM1050
2.6
(29)CHEM1040
2.4
(66)105002
2.0
(1)1040
1.7
(14)Difficulty by Course
CHEM2880
5.0
1040
4.4
CHEM3430
4.3
105002
4.0
CHEM1040
3.7
Reviews (124)
A pretty good prof, I liked the way he does lots of problems in class. Kind of an intimidating prick; its funny how he freaks out when asked to move the overheads around. Funny shirts, so nerdy
He is very enthusiastic about chemistry which is good but he moves very quickly, and gets annoyed when people ask questions. He tries to be helpful, but when emailed for help, he tells you to "check the website for examples" What a nerdy, nerdy boy
Awesome teacher...Made chemistry about as fun as it can get...
No Comments
Very hard to listen to, likes to jump around when doing examples and doesn't give enough notes which makes it hard to go back and do questions later and when study for anything. Stopped going to his class and switched profs and did much better but he's okay, there could be much worse i guess.
wow... he is a real life napoleon dynamite...i think he's really into comics :S ... but i didn't like his lack of notes and very quick explanations... i switched to a different lecture and found it much better.
Wow how to describe this one...appearances aside, he still ain't got it. No structured notes made it difficult to follow at times. He oversimplified a bit, sometimes got too complicated. He didn't like explaining things, and didn't relate to students. One of the worst teachers I've had.
He is too friggin boring.. I don't remember any class I didn't fall asleep in. I quit going to class and just read the textbook. The good thing about him is his grading criteria. He did 2 midterms and quizzes have unlimited time, not like Lori Jones who thinks you have nothing in life but do chemistry homework and assignments.
I also had to TA under him. What a tool. I've never seen a grown man run around in comic book gear for 5 yr olds. In my opinion he's not a real chemist and I don't know how he made it this far. He knows nothing about chem and shouldn't be running the TA show. His knowledge may appear impressive to first year kids, but trust me, he ain't that smart.
I really enjoyed his teaching style. He borrowed fill in notes from another prof which helped a lot. He reminds the class constantly while lecturing of major key points, which helped me remember things. He is also very easy to go to for help. I found him great. Also USE THE CHEM HELP ROOM in first year, thats how I got 90's and my friends didn't.
Maybe not the most approachable guy outside of lectures, as why I never went to office hours. Otherwise he gets the job done, talks with enough enthusiasm to keep me awake.
Came into the class very interested and excited as i had a renewed interest in chemistry from university perspective he quickly was able to change that to disappointment as well as boredom. Not only was did he have very high expectations for a first year class, he also seemed to talk as if he was in his own little world. Dont choose his classes.
He just seems like he doesnt wanna be there and makes it scary to answer questions in class cause he shuts anyone down who is wrong.
Probably the worst prof I've had so far in university. My biggest issue with him is he'll start the examples in the notes and then just leave them. You'll have to do a lot of learning on your own if you have him as a prof. Treats the class like they're children.
Decent enough professor, seemed nice. Notes easy to follow. Needs to spend more time on examples! Time seems to slow down in that class though.
Delaat is actually an amazing prof, I managed to get 90+ by attending and paying attention in class. His notes are very clear and concise and contains all the important points that are needed. You hardly need to read the textbook as long as you pay attention in his class and read his notes. He's very clear, I like his interactive teaching style.
The whole flipped classroom thing that he tried was a mess. He does not teach (seriously he only solve the questions asked by the students) at all. Probably the worst teacher I had
flip classroom idea was a trick. He made it sound very useful but all it is, less work for him and easier to just answer questions. But useless for most of the students might as well just take the course online!! I hope he changes this in himself.
He is so good, patient, organized and fair. If you have any questions about chemistry, he will explain them so clearly until you understand.
WORST PROF I HAVE EVER HAD. He does not teach anything he requires you to come to class knowing everything already. The only thing he does during class time is answer students questions. I do not recommend taking this class if you have this prof
VERY GOOD PROF! He made chemistry make sense and made it bearable. It was also easy to ask questions in class. He's go over review before each lecture which made it easy to learn, and was also very helpful when going to see him in office hours. I definitely would reccommend him if you have to take chem. He's the best chem teacher by far
Flipped classroom worked great. Read the text before class, did practice questions and asked questions if you were confused. Prof was very helpful and answers questions during and after class. I found myself engaged and interested in lecture rather than just listening to a prof ramble on and copy notes directly.
Teaching style was strange; only taught course material if someone asked him to teach it. He just assumed that everyone read the textbook and understood everything about it if no one spoke up. Didn't do many examples related to what was on the assessments. Slightly unorganized as well.
Excellent professor. All i did was attend every class, make notes while he explained the material.. and i passed the class with no problems.
Finally chemistry makes sense
De Laat taught me so much through his example problems and at first i was hesitant because he didn't give us lecture notes but his examples help you understand ALL of the material. So go to class and you'll be golden
I wasn't in Delaat's class but I decided to attend his lectures on top of Prokipcak because I didn't do well on my midterms and I was not understanding the Titration or the Buffers. Delaat simplifies everything down for you, so it's super easy to understand. No readings necessarily and if you're a visual learner, he's the one for you.
His notes are horrid. He's extremely repetitive. He's disorganized. And he says ions wrong. Also he's mean when marking your labs.
Rick means well, but he expects you to teach yourself an entire course through a textbook that is not a clear in explaining things. I am paying good money to learn great things and I shouldn't be going to lecture for a Q&A 3 times a week. He expects you to teach yourself CHEM1050 and only spends class time discussing questions people have.
Terrible Prof. He expects you to teach yourself everything as he 'reviews' what you've already done in class. We are paying him to teach us, which he fails to do. I did all the readings, attended all classes, and still learned nothing from him. His notes are awful and he wastes so much paper. Would not recommend. Studied off Jones's notes for final
DeLaat doesn't care about teaching or students. I leaned almost nothing even though I went to all the lectures(not real lectures since he didn't teach) and did all the homework. I was lucky to get an amazing lab TA who is the reason I passed the course. She taught more chemistry at the start of labs then DeLaat did all semester.
Not a good professor. He was not very descriptive in lectures and often refused to fully explain his process due to an apparent lack of time. Basically, you have to be prepared to teach yourself the course through the textbook on your own time. If chemistry comes naturally to you then this won't be a problem.
AWFUL. No respect to students. Does not care about your success. Tries to make life difficult. Sets you up for failure. AVOID HIM AT ALL COSTS!!!
Worst Professor I have ever had at the University of Guelph. Does not want his students to succeed, says to read the textbook material. Takes an hour or so per chapter, and he flies by it in class in 10 minutes. So no point of reading the textbook. Lecture outlines suck. Lectures are dry. Lazy, unmotivated, only here for the pay check.
Delaat is an OK professor. He definitely knows his stuff about chemistry. The way he presents the information in class is terrible however. His in class notes are non-existent, so be ready to make all the notes yourself via the textbook. Midterms and exams have A LOT of writing.
doesnt teach anything unless you ask, terrible prof
Thought his class was going to be difficult, however I came to actually really like his teaching style. He does a lot of practice questions, and always gives a quick summary of what you've previously learned just before the lesson starts.
I had to teach myself a lot of the material. I didn't find lectures too helpful, but I'll give him credit for being passionate about chemistry! I liked the element of the day with the matching shirts for sure..
Worst Prof I have had yet at Uofg. Provides NO LECTURE SLIDES, good luck studying! 2/3 of the class doesn't show up because you don't learn anything from him Assigns about 600 pages of reading in the text book, talks about only maybe 1/3 of that content throughout the year Awkward moments of silence when no one answers his questions V.I.R.G.I.N
If you don't plan on teaching yourself the entire course then don't sign up for his class. Only covers practice material in class and doesn't teach a thing. Given that CHEM 1040 is a difficult class his lecture style is less than ideal. Find yourself a better prof.
Delaat is by far the worst prof I have had at Guelph. He does not have any real slides on course link, aside from the "notes" he says he'll go through in class. He expects you to know all of the material before coming to class and uses lecture time not to lecture, but to go over practice questions that are irrelevant to the final.
Horrible Prof Ive ever had so far at the University of Guelph. Hes disorganized with his teaching. Expects us to know before arriving. Also doesnt plan things, just says whatever pops in his head. I feel like I dont learn anything from him.
No course notes. I fell asleep in class a lot because it's so dry.
He's quite the character. He puts an emphasis on coming to class and doing your readings. He's got a good sense of humor and always comes in with trivia about the "Element of the Day" wearing a T-shirt of that element. We then have to guess how the element's related to the subject. He encourages class participation and is very accommodating.
Not helpful at all. He gave no lecture notes, and just talked about whatever he wanted. He was condescending when students asked questions, and rude pretty much at all times. Incredibly boring, and gave no real feedback about anything. Lectures were pretty much useless.
You have to print out fill in the blank notes and use the textbook to fill them in before class. He kinda just does the problems in class. It's really easy to fall behind in the textbook work and be lost in class. But he's pretty good at walking through problems and he had office hours everyday (most profs only have them once or twice a week).
He is the worst prof i have had at University of Guelph. the ONLY positive about him is that his midterms and final exam is very easy to study for and very easy to get good marks at.
I really liked this Professor. He really seemed to talk with passion and knowledge about chemistry. I really think his teaching style forces you to read and study which results in better grades and knowledge. I love the element shirts he wears and I overall think he is a great person.
His lecture notes were fill in the blanks which was a bit annoying but he did go through a lot of different types of problems you would expect to see on tests. Attending lectures helped because he gave a lot of hints. Midterms and final exam were fair and straight forward if you studied and did practice questions.
Rick is such a caring prof. He gives reading assignments prior to class but it actually helps. You definitely should do the homework and attend class if you want a good grade. Hes also the course coordinator and writes the tests, so he doesnt beat around the bush. Great guy!
Richard was a great prof, he really cared about his students success and added midterm multiple choice questions to prepare you better. The guided readings were kind of heavy but he went over each material in class and explained in great detail.
While he isn't the most moving lecturer, he will make sure you understand the content and breakdown everything. Compared to my previous CHEM1040 professor, he had made sure no concept goes untouched.
Prof never uploads his notes to CourseLink and his lectures are insanely dry, which makes it hard to stay focused. Comes off as somewhat rude, so I was never super comfortable with emailing him or approaching him for clarifications. Didn't seem like he cared about teaching this class at all, which was disheartening.
He might seem kind of dry during lectures, however he was otherwise pretty good at making sure we understand it. Like he would go over questions in class to see if we get it. Also his tests and exams were pretty easy.
He does not have helpful notes. Class feels never ending and boring. Teaches and has notes based solely off of textbook content
Basically this prof dont know how to teach chem. He doesnt have any notes, no powerpoints or slides. Writes random stuff on a blank paper and basically teaches verbally
Just overall boring. He is so awkward at the front and makes each lecture seem like an eternity. Avoid if you can.
Doesn't teach topics, just goes through examples. Never differentiates big ideas from side notes. No slideshows or online notes. Scribbles down equations and talks about whatever. Our SAS note taker quit within a week. Assigned literally the entire textbook and expects us to read tons before every class, otherwise class makes even less sense.
The worst prof I've had between the two universities I've been at, he doesn't have online OR in-class notes. His version of notes is ineligibly scribbling random words on a piece of paper and then doing examples halfway. Expects you to read the whole textbook and gives no info on what's actually important for tests. Not to mention SO condescending.
no class or online notes, and goes through content like we've all seen it before. When we haven't.
Doesnt teach anything in class, but expects you to teach yourself through guided readings. If you dont have a very good understanding of chemistry from highschool, dont bother taking his class.
DeLaat does not follow a lesson plan necessarily... he just talks about ideas and concepts. His teaching motto is "I am not here to teach you... I am here to guide your deeper understanding of things." If you can read the textbook and understand chemistry yourself, you will do great. But if you need to be taught... buckle up!
DeLaat's notes are all over the place, but if you do what he suggests then its fairly easily to follow along and succeed. I have him again next semester and would recommend. Kind of awkward in office hours but still very helpful. He truly is a die hard chem lover and its amazing!!
At first I was hesitant because there was no notes, but go to every class and De Laat explains well. He's a bit disorganized but you get used to it and I started learning really well with him. His guided readings kept me on top of everything, i recommend using them! He says important things during lectures about labs, midterms etc which are helpful
He's not the best at explaining
I had him for CHEM1040 and I'm currently taking his CHEM1050 class. His lectures consist of asking lots of questions and multiple choice questions similar to what we'd find on the midterm and final exam. Depending on your learning style, you'll love him or hate him.
Terrible Professor. He doesn't respect his students at all. Not understanding with respect to personal issues and not cooperative when it comes to answering a basic question. He does not modify his teaching style at all when it comes to lecturing despite the fail rate of the course. Overall, he is available for help when needed.
There are a lot of mixed reviews on Delaat, but I honestly really enjoyed his classes and learned a lot. His teaching style is pretty unique; he explains concepts and then gives some example problems and walks you through them. I found this extremely helpful and felt very prepared for the exam as I had done so many practice problems during class!
So far worst prof ive ever had.
There's a lot of mixed reviews about Rick, but the most popular courses he teaches can be extremely done. I really enjoy going to his lectures, and at first, he might seem dry when he teaches. WHen he teaches, it's in depth and helps you to understand, even when you haven't done the readings. He goes through a lot of content in each class,don'tskip
I don't know why Rick is so underrated. If your high school prepared you well, you will preform with perfection. Yes you must read the textbook, in what science course do you not. He answers questions well. He explains the concepts that we will come across on tests and exams. His midterms are easy, just like the questions he goes over during lec.
Lots of mixed reviews on this prof, but I liked him. Difficult class, but if you stay after class or go to his office hours he will answer questions! Goes over lots of multiple choice questions in class that will prepare you for the midterms!
not very helpful when you ask questions, kinda rude when you ask for help feels like your being insulted for not understanding. he definitely has a love for chemistry which you can see in his lectures. however his supplementary material is poor and needs to provide more practice questions and provide solutions not just answers
I wouldn't say he is the best prof. He tends to be disorganized, has a very weird way of teaching where it is nearly all practice problems and hardly any theory. When we got to organic chem at the end, he sort of gave up and barely taught us anything. I scraped by in organic only because of my TA and my friend who knew more organic than I did.
Rick has mixed reviews but he has been really helpful! He answered questions well. His guided readings and MCQs prepared us really well for the midterms. If you attend his classes and follow the questions well, you are all set for the midterms and finals.
I had Rick for CHEM1040 in the fall semester of 2020, he was a great prof and was good at giving clear feedback. He stayed after every single lecture to allow time for questions, and let us turn our mics on to talk to him. He did his best to make online fun and engaging, and you can tell he is very passionate about chemistry.
He's really good at explaining concepts outside of class if you go during office hours that's when I found learning to be the most helpful. He hand writes everything in class (on lined paper but like it's vertical? oh well idm but it bothered people), there's no concrete slides. Explains things in lamen terms, I wish he'd have concrete slides thoug
Some people say he's tough, but it's just because he doesn't outright tell you the answers in lecture. Instead he works through problems with the class and makes you actually use your brain, helping you absorb the content in the long run. Great prof, and missed him in my next chemistry course.
The worst prof ever! He is a decent person but a really bad teacher. Skip everything and he's a really tough grader!!!!!!
worst professor here. does NOT respond to any emails, lectures are very unclear (tends to teach with 1 example per topic), VERY INSENSITIVE to people with SAS! like it’s ridiculous the lack of support and empathy he has for paying and struggling students.
Zero structure to his lectures and only uses 'guided readings' that result in him doing one example problem per concept. Course content is interesting but going to the lectures felt like a waste of time because of his 'teaching' style which felt like a random question and answer board with the occasional "how do you not know this already" vibe.
Has something against SAS registered students. Lectures are not that boring but the guy really cannot teach.
Prof does not teach a thing all semester. You are expected to learn the materials yourself from the textbook before coming to lecture, where he will simply talk and go through examples (not that it helps). Take any other available professor for this class
People on here are just bitter about their grades. Chem is undeniably difficult, so expecting the prof alone to pull you a 90 is ridiculous. De Laat did a great job of teaching you to walk through problems, which is literally 98% of the course. He's a great prof and clearly loves what he does. This is chem, not art class. Dedication is needed.
The greatest mystery in life is how the University of Guelph still lets de Laat teach. His teachings are bland, uninspiring, and inefficient. His marking is unpredictable and states that is if he's moody then he'll mark poorly #GrrrMondays. Also this course is about the environment and yet he prints off all his slides and just reads them.
Made you feel dumb if you asked a question or answered a question wrong. Exam and midterm were not horrible however he graded extremely hard and never gave any part marks. Very unenjoyable course.
His lectures are very hard to follow, he's hilarious but his teaching style is not my favourite.
Once me and my friend asked him a question after a lecture and he laughed at us when we couldn't understand. In lectures, he only goes over examples and majority of the time he doesn't even thoroughly explain the steps. For perspective, I had A's in highschool chem and I continue to work my hardest but I'm literally praying for a pass.
Rick Delaat makes me miss my highschool science teacher that jumped on tables while yelling and ranted about his ex-wife. His teaching content is disorganized, unhelpful, and makes me lose faith in humanity. Quite frankly, I do a better job teaching myself until 2am with youtube videos and my textbook. His lack of empathy is concerning. -1000/10
I walked out of the class more confused about everything then I did going in
did not like his teaching methods at all and learned almost nothing
I just didn't learn anything
Too smart to teach. Needs to try to dumb it down more
Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by a lack of empathy and remorse. He was actually smiling when I broke down in his office. Regardless of who was right and if I deserved the mark this man actually enjoys to see his students fail.
He does not care about his students in the slightest. Definitely just there for the pay check. Asked a question once and he made me feel super dumb for it and the craziest part is I didn't even get an answer.
If you can avoid Delaat, do it.
Had Delat when I had a strong chem background. His lectures were hard to follow unless you reviewed SO much before hand-which was not always realistic to do. His exams and tests were so difficult. The course overal was very time consuming and often hard to get a decent mark in. I would really not reccomend him.
everyone complains about delatt but you can tell he likes what he does. he's quite blunt and can come off as rude but i think he's funny. can go kind of fast and if you miss lectures you will be LOST. def review lots as this course is very content heavy and you don't get any formula sheets. GO TO CLASS and pay attention to sig figs on labs lol
hands down worst prof I've ever had ignore all positive reviews you do not want this prof everyone who has taken him will say he remember him as being bad if you ask them about it final exam is extremely difficult, with the highest mark of anyone I knew in my semester on the exam was around like 40%
he sucks
2 week update: this guy's handwriting is like chicken scratch i cant understand it AT ALL rushes through examples also wears the same outfit every single lecture which i find slightly concerning like how many element tshirts do you have
Do not take chem with rick delaat, honestly the worst prof at guelph and possibly ontario. He doesnt care about anyone other than his massive ego, a truly terrible human being. A douchebag some might even say
He was a fine prof. Not that bad, and not that amazing either. Just right. He'd go through lectures either very detailed or not. You really need to attend class here or you'll miss a lot. Recommend reading ahead or looking through the textbook ahead of time so you have a general idea of what's happening in the lecture. Tons of homework.
this guy is single handedly responsible for most of my mental breakdowns. My high school avg in chem used to be 80-90% now I can't even get 50%. He's such a bad prof that no one even attends his lecutures n insted attend the other profs lecture. DON'T TAKE DE LAAT IF YOU LOVE YOUR SELF
most of the people do not put in work and did not do well. its basically review of grade 12. O-chem is a bit rushed at the end. The labs are not the fault of the proof, just the school trying to reduce your grade and filter people out. Blame the department of chemistry of how it is ran.
You need to attend the lectures to take notes, but he does a review at the beginning of every class that helps with recall and staying on top of the material. He gets a bad rep, but if you put the work in you should be fine
Lectures were unclear, midterm/exam preparation was limited during his lectures (many resources posted by the department though), and snarky comments in emails/notifications. Not very engaged in lectures or office hours. Seems that he has improved somewhat in CHEM 1050 but still do not recommend.
DeLaat is the type to tell you that half the class will fail the course, which they do. It is not lack of motivation from the students. He seems a bit pompous, and I went to his office hours to ask a question and got criticised for not knowing the answer. He also seems to have something against SAS students with learning disabilities.
Not very nice, especially when you have queries.
hes badddddddd
Rick is an amazing lecturer, an amazing teacher and an amazing guy. By far my favorite prof so far and the only one I've talked to outside of class. BE WARNED, paying attention in class is a must as Rick does not post or use slides. Instead he goes through written examples and pages as well as having optional pre lecture prep you can do.
Bad writing, goes to quick in class. Rude to students with questions. Assigns too much homework. Doesn't post notes. Do not take
Its clear he's knowledgeable, but he can't teach. He is disorganized. No lecture slides, horrible hand writing that will confuse you even more and short, but very difficult midterms and exams. Class average was a low 40% and he blamed it on us. No remorse whatsoever!
He is the worst professor, no, the worst person I have ever met. I have never met someone who tries so hard to sabotage their students grades. He spent half of his lecture complaining about how no one would show up and the other half doing a poor and boring job at teaching with a booklet that costs extra money that every other prof gives for free.
A challenging course with the notorious Prof. Delaat. His lectures can be tough to follow, but using resources like the free textbook and Unstuck study helps prepare for the difficult exams. Attendance is a must to keep up.
pretty much his lectures are just him having a conversation with the chemistry nerds at the front. no slides. i would skip his lectures and go to a different professor that actually teaches at a different time.
Good manss
PLEASE avoid this man while you still can. very bad lecture style, very condescending, takes joy in seeing his students fail, extremely unorganized. Lowest grade I've ever gotten in chem after doing well in high school and keeping up with practice problems. avoid this prof if you can!
Just avoid.
Delaat is a character for sure. A lot of these ratings are pretty abysmal but if you ask questions and really try your best, go to office hours, do the guided readings before class, etc, you'll be fine. I did not find him to be a mean guy and he seemed kind when I asked questions. GO TO LECTURES AND HE WILL KNOW YOUR FACE AND WANT TO HELP YOU OUT.
Let me start off by saying, reading some of the other reviews I went into my first Chem lecture with a huge pit in my stomach. The bottom line is, if you do your part; do the guided readings, attend office hours, speak to him after lectures, he'll be inclined to help, and you'll be ok. He was always enthusiastic, you can tell he loves what he does.
He just overall not a nice guy, he attempts to run the chem1040 email but does very poorly. He is rude, condescending and enjoys students pain and suffering.
So old school and impossible to learn from. Had to teach myself the entire course.
never take his class, any other prof is better
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
45%
Textbook Required
22%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.31 avg changeRatings by Course
1040AND1050
3.0
(6)CHEM1050
2.6
(29)CHEM1040
2.4
(66)105002
2.0
(1)1040
1.7
(14)Difficulty by Course
CHEM2880
5.0
1040
4.4
CHEM3430
4.3
105002
4.0
CHEM1040
3.7