A. J. Shaka - University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA

Professor: A. J. Shaka

Department: Science

College: University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1A
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

I took his class during summer session, there was hw but not too difficult, the hw was actually a good source to study for the exams. He tells you whats going to be on the exams during lecture. He is a good professor, lectures are clear, not boring at all.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1A
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Definitely would recommend taking him! I took him during summer session and absolutely loved him. I would HIGHLY recommend reading the book. The quizzes are all based on lecture but the book has solid practice problems that can help ace the test.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1A
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

He has no curve. You may miss some of the content as he often goes off the tangent. If you are international, you may want to switch to another lecture as it is easy to get lost.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1A
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

A lot of extra credit. If you did not do well on the first midterm, make sure you understand all of them b/c they will be on the second midterm as extra credits.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: CHEMH2A
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Dr. Shaka was the best Chemistry professor I've had so far. It's very clear that he loves the subject and loves what he does. His tuffys were quite challenging, but at the same time rewarding. Have patience with the material, study hard, and trust the process! He guides his students toward success.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

He is my absolute favorite professor

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: H2A
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Shaka was an amazing professor and although he went off on some tangents, they were interesting and entertaining. His lectures were sometimes confusing and I was unsure as to how it related to what we were learning. He gives extra credit on both midterms and the final, and there was a curve at the end for our class.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: CHEMH2B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

An interesting guy who is clearly well-educated and respected in the field of chemistry, but he cannot teach--which, in the end, is all students should care about. His homework ("toughies") are absolutely ridiculous--not even chemistry, more like physics or calculus or smth. If you don't have a big group of friends to work on them with, GOOD LUCK.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: CHEMH2A
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

He's very invested into the subject he is teaching, making you love the class and his lectures. His tests are all free response but there are a ton of extra credits. You don't even need to read the book; just the slides is sufficient. Overall a very easy class. (Beware of the tuffys though)

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: CHEMH2A
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Shaka is a real gem of a professor that actually wants you to learn the material, rather than memorize straight from the textbook. Lectures were always intriguing- you definitely wouldnt want to miss any. His Tuffy homework, is time-consuming and outrageously difficult to do alone. It may be real life application, but it can feel like busywork.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: CHEMH2A
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

At first I was very offput by Shaka's very blunt way of speaking and his anti-religious commentary (the guy very definitely has a lot of harbored resentment for most religions, so beware if you wear a lot of religious clothing/jewelry), he turned out to be a quite caring and nice professor. He goes on long tangents but gives loads of extra credit.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: CHEMH2A
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Professor Shaka is a surprisingly decent lecturer who seems to really care about his students. His lectures are clear and thorough and his eccentricity becomes endearing after a while. Although the class is challenging and his homework assignments are intimidating and difficult, getting an A is very doable as long as you study well.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1A
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Super straightforward professor. Makes it clear what he wants you to know for the exams, and offers LOTS of extra credit. The lectures themselves are so-so, but as long as you read and understand the textbook you should be good. Do practice problems and the exams will be a breeze. Deserves a higher rating imo.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1A
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

He's not too bad. He's obvious about what's on the test, when he's lecturing he emphasizes certain points and says "if this were on the test"... more than likely, the exact with diff numbers (even the same one) will be on the test. Nice guy, I feel like his rating is too low

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: CHEMH2B
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Study lecture notes, pay attention to what he stresses, do discussion wksts, go to his office hours if you're struggling, study your old midterms (he reuses questions). His questions are hard but not designed to trick you. You will see physics on many occasions (yes, physics). It truly takes effort in his class. It turned out to be my fav class.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: CHEMH2B
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Tuffys tough but you get used to it. Tests are long and hard and extra credit is just as hard so don't rely on that. Will NOT be a class you can breeze through BUT effort WILL pay off. Truly a class where you learn for learning's sake, not for grades. Shaka spends 10 min everyday sharing life experiences/lessons. Very interesting and memorable.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: CHEMH2B
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

His class seems pretty hard at first, but he really cares and tries to help you out as much as possible. He always reuses questions from previous tests and puts everything you need to know on the slides, so it's easy to prepare for exams. He also gives A LOT of extra credit. During lecture he does go on a lot of tangents, but it is interesting.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: CHEMH2B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

I was worried and scared about this class at first, but it turned out to be one of the best classes I have ever taken. Professor Shaka wants you to do well and he does his best to help you. Study his lecture slides, pay attention to lecture, make sure you're able to do the problems you got wrong on an exam- they tend to reappear on future exams.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1A
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Weekly quiz, Extra Credit on each midterm. I took it during the summer session so no homework, which is great. Not hard to pass if you read the textbook carefully. I was taking another very hard Bio course at the same time so I almost didn't go to the lectures, almost just reading by myself but I passed. If you want an A, GO TO the lectures.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1A
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

You have a weekly quiz. (Don't worry, drops your lowest and replaces it with your highest quiz grade) 2 midterms. 1 Final. Offers EXTRA CREDIT points on each midterm! READ THE TEXTBOOK! Got an A by reading and understanding the book. INDEPENDENT STUDY MOSTLY an A is VERY do-able just try and study yourself!