This was my second time taking Ochem, and the first time I crashed and burned. Blackwell made it easy to get back on my feet and keep on learning. Excellent Teacher, I'd take her for sure.

Such a great professor! Makes organic chemistry really interesting and does a really thorough job at working through the material at a reasonable pace and providing lots of practice! She is also really clear about her expectations! She made Chem 343 a very positive experience!

Dr. Blackwell is a solid ochem professor, one who isn't talked about much. She really cares about her students and explains topics quite well. I felt like Sapling problem sets didn't convey the difficult material well compared to the exams though. Her lectures are quite interesting actually.

Professor Blackwell is one of the best professors I have ever had. She does an amazing job explaining the "why behind everything which helps decrease the amount of memorizing in the course. She is extremely clear in lecture. Overall, she is amazing and I highly recommend taking Ochem with her.

Overall pretty good prof. However, lectures are very fast-paced. The second half of the semester seemed rushed and we went through a ton of mechanisms very quickly. The class became more about memorizing mechanisms than actually learning about what was happening. Just do lots of mechanism practice for exam 3 and the final and it will be okay.

Professor Blackwell spends a lot of time on mechanisms and explaining the "why" of reactions which is not necessarily helpful. The exams are fairly straightforward.

Lectures are very organized and she is very knowledgeable on the material. Presents the material in a very easy to follow manner.

Lectures tend to highlight reactions and mechanisms in the most basic sense and there is a very large difference between practice sets provided and actual exam material. It is difficult to piece together what is expected on the exam.

Lectures are very unorganized, which makes it really hard to keep similar concepts (aka most of OChem) straight. Lecture videos help, but hard topics are covered quickly and so much "why" is given for each reaction that it is impossible to know what you will be tested on or not. There isn't a common structure to how lectures are taught.

Outstanding professor. If you are the type of learner that needs the "why" component to fully grasp a concept TAKE BLACKWELL. Her lectures rely on the chapters in the book, but her exams are ONLY on the material in the lecture. She posts her lectures online which is a nice study tool. Ochem sounds scary, with Blackwell it's very manageable.

Helen was an amazing professor &changed my perspective on chemistry (i HATED intro chem & ive found that most people who hate intro chem like ochem more) She let us use notecards on exams, &recorded her lectures which helps ALOT. Although I got a B I felt like I learned a lot in this class& I enjoyed her much more than my current chem 345 professor

Would not have passed ochem without such a great professor she just really helped put things in a way easy to understand even when the topics are so complicated! She posts lectures online so you don't have to go, lectures are very fast so I recommend watching them online anyways so you can pause to keep up

Overall she's average. The lectures are extremely quick, so make sure you take notes/do the readings BEFORE CLASS! There are practically no useful exam practice questions. She posts one practice exam, but the real test always is harder. She does give a lot of homework problems but they're easy compared to the test. Y'all better WERK

Overall okay. Lectures are clear. They can be pretty quick, but are recorded. Exams are tough, and she provided practically no preparation materials for them. Pretty big disconnect between provided practice materials and exams, so doing exceptionally well requires a lot of self studying that I admittedly did not commit to.

If you get the opportunity, definitely take ochem with Professor Blackwell. She is an amazing lecturer, and is great at explaining difficult topics. The tests are difficult, but definitely do-able with some studying. If you are willing to put some work into the class, you shouldn't have too much of a problem getting a good grade.

Blackwell is a very good lecturer and puts concepts in a way that is easier to understand. Would highly recommend

Dr. Blackwell is a fabulous lecturer. The class is very hard, but it's O Chem. No surprise there. The tests are fair. Just do the work and you have a good chance of doing well in the class.

I did like her.... then i didn't... But she is a good professor and if she ever needed an intern I would definitely love to be one...... But that's the Future. The TAs were awesome....I respected one so much. The other..... idk him but lol I hope the rest of the class does well

Professor Blackwell is one of the best lecturers I've ever had! She's very good at explaining difficult concepts, and is good at depicting things visually. She also posts her lectures online, so it's easily to go back and see how she explained something.

She doesn't give you options of questions to answer on the exams, which makes it very difficult if you come across a question or two that you have no idea how to do when it's only a 6 question exam. Also, there's pop quizzes in discussion sections.

Overall, Professor Blackwell is an all around great teacher. She is very clear when it comes to her lectures and her exams are well written for clarity. The class is extremely difficult, but she makes it manageable and gives you the resources to succeed if you spend the time to do so.

Tests are hard, but they're fair. No surprises. If you read, do the practice book problems (and homework), you will get an A. She is a very reasonable person. VERY good at teaching. Takes hard concepts slow, breaking them down well. Answers questions frequently and obviously knows the content well. Content is just hard to understand sometimes.

The lectures are pretty long, but they are a guide to what is on the exam. The homework and practice problem sets are much more helpful, however.

Very clear with what she expects of you in the class. If you pay attention and study hard, you will do fine on the exams. Know the mechanisms she gives you like the back of your hand.

I thought she was very clear on how to do the chemistry she was teaching us and the exams adequately portrayed what we learned in class.

I don't know why she gets such a poor score. Ochem is a hard class, don't take it if you aren't ready to devote a ton of time to it. Helen is amazing though, she covers everything that goes on the exams in lecture, the book is just a good aid to reinforce things. shes pretty amazing and is always responds to questions really fast. take ochem w her!

Professor Blackwell really knows the material well and does an amazing job teaching the material. She is very nice and approachable especially during office hours. The best thing about Professor Blackwell is that if asked, she is able to explain the concept in numerous ways which can really help you understand the way you can.

Ochem is a hard class, whomever your professor. I really like Blackwell because all of her lecture videos are posted on Learn@UW. You don't really need the textbook, but if you think you'll use it just get the 5th edition, it's the same thing and way cheaper.

She is not as clear and concise as some other professors in this topic and lectures are very boring and hard to focus in. She focuses on very minuscule parts of chemistry. She makes power lectures feel like an eternity, impossible to pay attention the entire time. She promises demos but only does them two weeks after so said she was, very sad.

Really hard class in general. The thing about Blackwell is that she's really nice and good at explaining things, but her tests are HARD. Do a million practice problems, read the book and do NOT skip class. A lot of the problems on her tests are mentioned in passing while she's teaching.

Prof Blackwell does a great job giving you everything you need to succeed in her class (basically don't even need the book for the most part), but that doesn't mean you won't have to work for a good grade. You'll know exactly what to expect from each exam, and have to prepare accordingly. Work hard and you'll do well.

I have learned a ridiculous amount about organic chemistry from Helen Blackwell. She's a tremendous professor who explains things beautifully, though it is a fast paced course. Her exams are on the hard side of fair, but this forces you to really learn the material rather than just memorizing reactions. Read & do practice problems & you'll be okay.

Her lectures are long and she moves pretty quickly, not stopping for many questions. Her exams are more difficult than they should be so most the class fails the exams. Try and get the other professor and you'll avoid boring lectures and stress over trying to save your grade. I highly recommend that you do not choose Blackwell as your professor.

Hard teacher. Online homework was easy, but didnt prepare for exams. Averages were usually between 50-60%. Dry lectures, NO DEMOS. Ignores everyone's questions who arnt in front row. Frequently teaches material not covered in the textbook. Spent more time on this 3cr class than on my 5cr Physics and 4cr Calc3 class COMBINED. AVOID, other prof is OK

Overall good teacher. I took a lot out from her lectures. Her delivery is a bit dry, but that's needed since so much is being gone over. I wouldn't call the tests insanely hard, but they were difficult. Definitely as long as the work is put in, you can get a decent grade.

I'd say I like her. Her lectures are clear and efficient, though sometimes becomes hard to focus (mostly become it's too long, not exactly her fault). Exams are not easy, but fair enough. input=output

Great teacher, really clear in what she is teaching and tests are fair. Do the suggested homework problems and you will be fine

Professor Blackwell seems to be a great lecturer until you get to the exams and don't know half the questions. Very low exam averages which shows it wasn't just me... VERY DIFFICULT! If possible choose a different professor!!! If you're stuck with her, make sure you read the textbook and do ALL the practice problems, it's your only chance at an A

Overall pretty good. She seemed like she really enjoyed organics, and I thought that it helped a lot in getting the material across. Tests were... difficult, but curve was okay. I would definitely take another course with her.

Professor Blackwell is an excellent teacher, Ochem is a hard subject, but she generally does a good job in explaining the material clearly. The tests ARE hard, and a lot of the questions can be tricky. Doing the homework is very helpful

Expects you to know a lot in terms of prior knowledge. Exams are way too hard the averages are always around 50%; they are nothing like the practice exams or the problems discussed in class. I would recommend somebody else

Very tough grader and expects a lot of prior knowledge to o-chem... Doesn't really explain things in class and goes over things really quickly. Average on tests are 50%; she likes to trick us with hard questions. I really like o-chem, but didn't do too well in the class.

She knows her stuff but can talk over your head an awful lot. The tests are nothing like the practice tests, and awfully hard. Any and all petty points that can be taken off, will be taken off.

LOVE HER

O-Chem is challenging no matter who teaches it. Prof. Blackwell is very good at explaining all the concepts. Only one of her tests was ridiculously hard, the rest were fair. Best 343 teacher tho, highly recommend. She is really friendly and articulate too!Study from class notes & do every practice problem possible & you will get a deserving grade.

AWFUL. No help. Makes tests ridiculously hard and expects miracles. AVOID AVOID AVOID!!!!!

Professor Blackwell is a great professor. She tries to be engaging during lecture. She definitely does an effective job of lecturing on relevant material. Exams are not easy, but definitely fair, and quizzes are pretty much straight from the lecture notes. Overall, great, fair professor, definitely recommended.

Prof. Blackwell is a very clear, fair instructor. Almost 100% of the material covered in lecture is covered on the exams, which are also fair. The exams do get progressively more difficult, but so does the material. Finally, she is funny and loves to teach ochem, too bad she only teaches 1st semester or I would take her class again!

I am priveleged to learn Organic Chemistry from Professor Blackwell. Her lectures are conversational yet informative, easy to follow, and engaging. The outline of lectures follows the book pretty closely and the book supplements the lecture material extremely well. Prof. Blackwell is one of the best I've had and I highly recommend taking her class.

Straightforward with concepts and expectations. For OChem being "so scary", she makes it very doable. One of my better professors at the UW.

About as good of an organic chemistry professor as one can hope for. Does a good job writing tests and quizzes so those who know the stuff can distinguish themselves. Class results are always very stratified. Textbook is immensely helpful.

I personally did not have a very good experience in Prof. Blackwell's class. Would not be my top choice for O Chem prof.

Prof. Blackwell is great lecturer--really clear on what she wants to get across and makes ochem seem fun. She's also super helpful during office hours and is always open to questions. You can tell that she truly cares about her students. That said, this class is still not an easy A, but if you work hard, you'll get a deserving grade.

pretty good teacher. lectures are pretty organized & clear. in-class problem set every week and quiz every 2 wks is useful for staying in track. optional homework: awesome. textbook is unnecessary, you'll be fine without it if you listen in lecture. sometimes puts some stuff not in lecture in tests, but 95% of the time it's in the lecture notes.

She is an excellent lecturer. She explains everything fully. You have to read the book to understand some concepts and she is open to questions.

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Best professor I've had at madison by far. Makes learning chem easy. Tests are still challenging, but definately doable. Shes really helpful.

She's really good. She makes everything really easy to understand, and I don't know too many other people who can say that about their o-chem professor

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