I enjoyed learning chemistry (1035) through Prof. Deck. He's very knowledgeable in the subject, and is enthusiastic to teach it. His tests aren't difficult if you go to lecture and do the suggested homework. Can move ahead of the bottom curve of the class in lecture, but is willing to move back if someone asks. Overall great teacher. Chem skill builder assists in the learning process, and boosts grades.

Pros: Not too many...I guess when you leave the class you should have a good understanding of the material (assuming you worked your ass off).

Cons: The power point method of filling in the blanks on slides wasn't the most exiting way to learn the material. It was also kind of hard to get a good idea of what was going to be on the test. ARIS (online HW) also blows.

-- The material on the tests was a fair amount harder than the material covered (and not covered...) in class. After bombing the first two tests (he drops one), I managed to pull of a miracle C -- for later tests I pretty much memorized the slides, made/memorized book notes, and went over old ARIS HW a bit. Overall, this class/teacher stressed me out like crazy and I definitely recommend trying to get it with someone else.

Deck's class tends to be fairly difficult. Be prepared to show up to class and study for his exams. The homework does not prepare you for the exams nearly well enough, the questions are vastly different. His exams also tend to be based around all of the information provided in the lecture, not just the stuff covered the majority of the time, so if you see small stuff he mentions just briefly, it will most likely show up on the exam.

I understand that his teaching style and attitude caused issues for some students, particularly if they were having difficulty understanding some concept, but I personally never had a problem with him. He was an ideal teacher: his homework and lessons gave a reasonable idea of what information would be on the tests, he posted his slides so note taking was easy, while his sarcasm and extremely dry humor made class entertaining enough.

Prof. Deck knows the material very well. The worst thing about the class is his lack of respect for students and his rude disregard for their feelings. I can understand how difficult it must be to deal with the large number of students in the class. If you come to class and go to the reviews you should be fine. If real difficulty comes up then the homework problems will indicate what will be on the test.

Hes a bit odd, and eccentric at times, but the guy knows his stuff. His lectures seem completely useless most of the time, I just used them as a primer to get into the slide notes he gave us, which are important to getting a good grade. His tests he uses are almost identical to his previous years, which is great. All the way up to the final.

Deck's class wasn't as hard as people say it was. He is a sarcastic ass sometimes, but people ask ridiculously stupid questions. Do the ARIS homework and try to pay attention to his lectures; all of the exams come from stuff he talked about in lectures or ARIS homework problems. The "recommended" book problems help too.

Do not get Deck for Gen Chem. I had a really hard time with his notes which are fill in the blank, the class is extremely boring. He does not curve, but when I met with him one on one he seemed reasonable because I showed that I was trying. If you have him I would really try and get someone else.

Professor Deck is a very nice person, but he does not communicate the information well. Everything seems simple when he writes it on the board but than he excepts you to be able to apply it to much harder problems, usually needing more then the information he provides.

his tests were much harder than the homework and sample tests. Very unfair and unrepresentative of what he teaches in class. His concern is not with students learning but in proving he is smarter than all his freshmen chemistry students. Ego maniac.

I felt like he knew what he was talking about, but that he gave us no clue about what to expect on the test. He did give homework, but it was nothing like what the questions were on the tests. If you can, get Long. I would not recommend him.

Insulted to teach an Intro Chem class, and lets you know. Does not make any effort to help the students, even when we come to him. I had a class that conflicted with his office hours and he refused to help me.

Very rude. Seems frustrated to be teaching freshmen. Tests are scheduled at the most inconvenient times and are very hard. Overall not a pleasant experience...

its apparent that he cares a lot about his research, which is probably why he doesn't care about his students. not very good at communicating the material.

This was quite the class. The tests and homeworks are rather hard and require a lot of time to prepare for. If you do bad on the first test hang in there he does curve and it does get somewhat easier. The key is to not necessarily remember all the facts, but just get the key points and trends down so you can apply them to much different scenarios on the test.



Gives quizzes almost daily but they are on the reading or the lecture from before, so if you go to class and keep up reading you will have no problem.



People say he's kind of rude to his students in class which is somewhat true, but he just doesn't take any crap. If you go to his office he's very very friendly and is very willing to help you if you have any questions. I nice guy once you get to know him.



Goodluck!

Deck is a smart guy, and definitely knows the material. He offers plenty of opportunity to do well in your class, just do the homework. Homework, in my class, was able to be redone on the internet as many times as you wanted in an attempt to get 100s. Something like 14 extra credit points could have been awarded if you completed it all at 100%.



His lectures were boring, and nothing more than the powerpoint, but the powerpoints were excellent tools. Some people were put off by his personality, thinking him a jerk, but I think it was just a dry humor.



I would say Deck is an average professor, and would recommend him if you are willing to do the homework (which needs to be done to learn the material anyways).

Pros: You get a good amount go background information you need for higher level courses. Also, you will learn a lot of random reactions.

Cons: Paul Deck comes across as pompous and a bit rude in class. It's weird that in office hours he is actually quite friendly. the tests are ridiculously hard. Sometimes I didn't even know where most of the reaction came from--they were in the book!.

Work and study hard! This class is definitely harder than what a 2000 level class should be. Do the readings and take good notes!!! The daily quizzes rely on that information.

Pros: The tests are basically the same as previous year's tests

Cons: Quite a lot of people don't like him

About everything negatively said about him is basically true. The grading is fair, regardless of what people say if you just do the aris and pass the tests you should be fine. The test questions are tricky with about 6-8 answers for each question.

Pros: Deck is a very knowledgeable professor. His lectures are for the most part enjoyable and comprehensive. He runs the class in such a way that the amount of work you do in the class is proportional to your grade. Hence, the more studying you do in the class, the better grade you will receive.

Cons: Deck can be an extremely picky grader.

Pros: A very unique personality, he is hard to get used to. He will not make this class easy. You will study, you will work hard...

Cons: No extra credit, no dropped exams, no love... be prepared for a challenging semester. Word of advise, his tests require a mastery of the course material. Good Luck...