CHEM 1411

This is a pretty easy lab course and the material isn't too difficult to master. The quizzes are a bit difficult but ended up being alright. Mathematica is a bit annoying to work with but after you learn how to use it is becomes okay as well. Overall, lab wasn't bad at all and it is manageable although the workload is a bit much for a 1 credit class.

This class can be super frustrating if you get a TA that grades really hard. Make sure to stay on top the the work early in the week so that you have time to attend office hours. Also, I would recommend taking it later in the week because you will have the ability to go to office hours the day prior to anythings due date (not possible on Mondays because office hours either are limited or do not occur on the weekends.

This was definitely not a favorite class of mine, but it wasn't horrible. Granted, I took it during COVID so the lab was all online, and honestly they weren't too hard--but I can't say how that translates to in person labs. Also, we never took the full three hour period to complete our work. The schedule alternates so that one week you have a workshop to write your plan for the experiment, which you have an hour to do, and then the following week you have three hours for the experiment. But the online experiments at least were pretty straightforward and sometimes took no longer than an hour/hour and a half. Professor Morkowchuk didn't do a ton on this course, it's mainly led by TAs, but the emails she sent and lecture videos she occasionally posted were always informative and helpful.
Really how much you enjoy this class comes down to your lab group and the TAs. I had a great lab group which made the workshops and experiments more enjoyable, but I didn't have great TAs - they provided help when we needed it but weren't engaged with the class and were a little wonky with grading sometimes. For those of you that this is a required course for, it's not the best class ever by a long shot, but it's not too bad.

I never once saw or heard from the professor the whole course, it doesn't really matter who you take it with. The whole class is directed and taught by TAs, who were perfectly nice. However, online lab absolutely sucks. I did not learn a thing, and I know that's not the professor's fault, but this class taken online was a joke. My group took around 20 minutes to do a 50 min lab each time. I hope this class never has to be taken online again.
#tCF2020

Since this semester was online, the course experience may not have been typical. The labs were done on an online platform called Beyond Labz, so it took a while to get used to. In my experience, the TAs were not very clear with their instructions and told different sections different things. I would recommend going to your TA's office hours to specifically ask, or you will get points off for random things not related to chemistry, such as formatting. #tCF2020

It's a hit or miss with your TA. I got a chill TA for my lecture, but a crappy one for my workshop. The better your TA is, the better your grade will be. Overall, the class was unnecessarily hard for a one-credit class. #tCF2020

** ONLINE PERSPECTIVE **
This class is entirely based on your group. My group was solid, everyone worked hard and did well. The time blocked out for this class is 3 hours, but the longest it's ever taken is 2, and the average is about 1.5 hours, so keep that in mind. The chemistry is not hard, and the write-ups and other work are generally pretty easy.
In the online version, the background chemistry is pretty minimal.
Overall the course is a required one for ENGR and is highly dependent on your group.
#tCF2020

Intro class doesn't teach much if you've been through high school chemistry (it does teach something depend on your background). Though the class experience depend on TA and your groupmate - meaning your luck. Hopefully you won't disagree with your groupmate on the procedure and finish the lab late. Postlab is the most dangerous thing in the class, do pay attention to every requirement and put max effort. Don't follow the example entirely because it actually has lots of problems.
Don't take the morning class if you are not a morning person or you will be pissed with a headache.

I took this class during covid, and I am so, so glad that it was made virtual. Although BeyondLabz was annoying to use, it was incredibly easy for writing prelabs, post labs, and summaries. I enjoyed this lab because I had a good group and TAs, but they are not entirely dependent on how well you do. I highly recommend going into office hours and going over all of your assignments, they usually drop some hints that will boost your score. Also, lab quizzes are difficult, I recommend going over all of the procedures and equations you encounter. All of the assignments need to be super detailed, so make sure you put in a lot of effort on the little things, or you'll get points taken off. The prelab assignments don't take super long, but some of the post labs take a while. All in all, put in the time and you'll do great! #tCF2020

Professor isn't present, lab is run by TAs. The course is really straightforward and a lot of it is convincing the TAs you know something as opposed to actually absorbing it. Only pain is gathering the will to do the work for a class that's so basic and teaches you very little outside the main CHEM course.