Michael Gerken - University of Lethbridge

Professor: Michael Gerken

Department: Chemistry

College: University of Lethbridge

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1000
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Michael's lectures are very straight-forward. He writes everything on the white board and does not post his own notes online, so attending class is a must if you want to do well. All the concepts on the midterms he covers in his class. There are weekly online assignments. This is a hard 1000 level course but Michael does a great job of teaching it.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1000
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Michael is a super nice man and he is passionate about his job! But, I found his lectures VERY confusing! Impossible to follow!! I had to put in TONS of time teaching myself the material (and there is a lot of material). He tends to brush over vital concepts. The tests are honestly not that bad as long as you do the practice exams provided.k

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1000
• Grade Received: D-
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Do not recommend having Michael as a prof. He writes all of his notes on a white board and i found it very difficult to write the notes while also taking in information. I basically had to teach myself all of the material using the internet and videos.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1000
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Lectures are all over the place, he likes to go on tangents. You can tell he has a passion for chem and he tries to pass that to his students, but doesn't really work. Doesn't believe in powerpoint so he writes everything on the board, but also just says things that could be important. His lectures require full attention and attendance is key.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1000
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Michael is an amazing prof!! Taking this class will be difficult for people who ONLY write down what he writes on the board. You also NEED to write down what he says in order connect everything when going over notes. I definitely recommend him to students who are independent learners, and for those who already have a good understanding of chem.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1000
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

He is a very intelligent professor, but makes for an awful teacher. Lectures were ALWAYS confusing. I taught myself everything in this class by using the other profs notes and you tube videos. His accent is hard to understand, you need to focus on every word. He does not teach the building blocks of theories. Would not recommend to anyone

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: CHEM2000
• Grade Received: C-
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Gerken can be very funny and he tries to lighten the mood, but his lectures are all over the place. I found it very hard to follow him and he refuses to have printed notes, he prefers to write his notes on the board. I'm not a slow writer, but I found it extremely difficult to copy his notes while trying to understand what he was explaining.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: CHEM2000
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Tough class especially with the notes he gives. They are all over the place and very unclear. He's a smart guy but he expects that we know everything so he skips little things a lot.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1000
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Michael is super funny and sassy which I love however, his exams are very very hard. The profs were disorganized. Michaels notes were all over the place and hard to follow and the textbook wasn't much help either. I suggest avoiding this prof if at all possible.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: CHEM10002000
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Michael is an incredible professor. He is very eager to see his students learn and more than happy to answer any questions you may have. Michael can be a little scattered when he does notes on a topic he knows cold, simply because he does not follow the notes or textbook so much as his own logical progression. Also has a hilarious accent.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1000
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He's a very nice and funny guy. He's definitely very smart and knows what he's talking about. Instead of explaining the topic and how to do things in his lectures, he assumes you already know what he's talking about and more so talks about a topic rather than teaches it. His notes and lectures are jumpy so I have to resort to my textbook a lot.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: CHEM3830
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Michael was very funny. He encouraged questions, he was available out of class time for help. His tests were fair and true to the course. Made good use of class time.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: CHEM2000
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

One of my fav profs. Super nice guy, a little goofy and always willing to help. He explains everything and if you still dont understand, he will take the time to explain it another way. Not sure why he doesnt have a good rep on here

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: CHEM4000
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

He is an original person. Unlike some other profs at the department he is good deep down. He likes to encourage students and help them to move forward. He is willing to spend any amount of time to make sure students comprehend the course. He is nice and absolutely respectful.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: CHEM4000
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He is awesome. Respectful and understanding. Always tries to make sure that students understand the material. He is a true instructor!

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1000
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He is very nice and enthusiastic about chemistry. He definitely knows what he is talking about, but is not as good at teaching. His notes are all over the place, which made studying quite challenging. I liked him as a person, but as a prof he was hard to do well with because you didn't really know what was really going on in his class.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1000
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

If you have a choice do not take Gerken!! He's a nice guy but his teaching style is terrible. His notes are all over the place. I basically have to use susan laites notes to decipher his. Added to this he goes on random tangents. Very boring as well.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: CHEM2000
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

This is a prof who does know his stuff, but doesn't make a good teacher. He assumes that everyone in his class knows what he is talking about and doesn't go into much detail. I had to use a lot of outside sources. Few written notes and all over the place lectures. Unless you are very food at chem, I would not recommend him

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1000
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

He is a great prof. He has an accent that is moderatly easy to understand, but that is what I like about him. His method of writing everything on the board is the best. He goes off on tangents about the research that HE is doing, but I thought that it added to the lecture. Great choice!!!

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1000
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Very willing to help students, he is a very happy guy who really likes chemistry and if you need any help at all, will not hesitate to make things clearer. you get used to his accent and i would reccomend him as a proff as opposed to susan lait or marc roussel