Don Decoste - University Of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign

Professor: Don Decoste

Department: TBD

College: University Of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: CHEM202
• 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:

He is just beyond description, no words for complement in my mind could come up cuz they are not that enough to depict how amazing he is

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: CHEM204
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

9000/10 the absolute best professor that I've ever had in my life. Ever. I had him for CHEM 202 and CHEM 204. Although it may seem like you shouldn't have taken the class if/when you don't get great grades, DeCoste challenges you to think in ways no other class you ever take will which will benefit you more than you think later on in life.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: CHEM204
• 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:

Don Decoste is an absolute legend. If I could give more than five stars, I would. Thats not to say this is an easy class. Its very hard, but thats because he believes in the value of teaching skills like problem solving instead of memorizing random facts. Lectures are always engaging, informative, and very entertaining. 10/10 would take again!

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: CHEM202
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Go to his office hours so he knows your name. He really wants to help people. Don't worry about looking stupid or anything. His class is hard and the grades reflect that but the final is a lot easier than all of the unit tests so take that into account before dropping

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: CHEM202
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. DeCoste explains everything so well and clearly. There is a great amount of work for this class, but if you know to how study smart and hard, you can succeed. Lectures aren't mandatory, but they're totally worth going to. Don't just read the textbook and watch the videos as if you have to, make sure you understand the material thoroughly.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: CHEM202
• 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's a very good lecturer. The tests are kind of hard but he curves the hell out of them, so it's fine

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: CHEM101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Amazing lectures!! He really knows what he's talking about. He's funny at times and really makes sure we're understanding the material.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: CHEM101
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I love him.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: CHEM202
• Grade Received: D-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Go to office hours, do all the homework provided and the practice tests. The grade is based primarily on exams, which test your ability to solve a lot of difficult problems relatively quickly. Knowing Decoste's methods help, and he works through problems during office hours. Take notes during lecture as he goes over problems he expects you to know.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: CHEM202
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Dr. DeCoste is fine. Everyone makes him out to be some sort of chemistry education guru, but he is mediocre in my opinion. He's much much better than many other professors, but that is because of how bad all the other chemistry professors are not because of how good he is.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: CHEM202
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Dr. DeCoste is a great professor and he gives clear lectures. Tests are not so hard and he curves a lot so the average should be around 85 or so. He is patient on answering students' questions during office hours and he really makes his student learn a lot from his instruction.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: CHEM202
• 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:

Great explanations in class. Lots of material to go through, but he still takes the time to answer student questions and do demos at the end of most lectures. He has a dad's sense of humor (go figure) and genuinely cares about his students as if they were his own kids. Great professor to have, real pleasure to be in his class. Watch the videos!

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: CHEM202
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Prof. DeCoste is amazing, he clearly knows what hes doing and always willing to help. GO TO OFFICE HOURS!! Do not fall behind in this class. If you do, say goodbye to your GPA. This class is accelerated for a reason and it helps to know your stuff before hand. He is funny and understanding. Go to lecture, if anything, he blows stuff up.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: CHEM202
• 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:

A fantastic professor. Good at speaking. So great.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: CHEM202
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Lots of amazing experiments in lectures, but the lectures are not so organized. Office hours are super helpful. Tests are easy if you did all the homework and understood how to apply the concepts.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: CHEM202
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

DeCoste prepares his students for challenging material and critical thinking; he deserves his role as an education specialist. He is a perfect example of firm yet fair; his tests are challenging and make you relate concepts in nearly every way possible. At the same time, he is very caring and approachable. He's an outstanding undergrad instructor.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: CHEM202
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Decoste is a great professor and super helpful in office hours. Pay attention in class and learn to use his methods, because that's the only way you'll survive his tests. He can speak quickly sometimes, but don't be afraid to ask questions because he's really nice.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: CHEM202
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

One of the best professors in the department. Read the textbook and study the challenge problems he assigns because those are similar to the level of difficulty as his test. Online quizzes are hard so work together with friends on them.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: CHEM202
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Amazing professor that specializes in educational research!

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: CHEM202
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Decoste is a really great professor! He does fun experiments & cares for his students, so if you're struggling, talk to him. However, I wouldn't recommend taking this unless you have a solid chem background. I had taken chem my sophomore year of hs and it's not enough for you to pass this class. If you're a ChemE, try the other sequence of classes