Compared to the other Biochem 501 professors, I really liked Sam. He teaches in a way that is easier to understand for students that have never heard of these concepts, even though he's studied this stuff for years and does research on it. Accessible outside of class and very kind and friendly.

Extremely average instructional abilities; very mid at explaining conceptual stuff and quite bad at explaining math. Will be saving his lecture recordings to use as white noise because goodness knows they put me to sleep. Practice exams were really helpful, they're just like the real test. Overall impression: really boring but not outright awful.

Professor Butcher's lectures were always very interesting. Outside of class he was also very friendly and showed he cared about the students.

Lectures felt bland but expectations were clear. The practice problems, discussion sets, and practice exams were very helpful in learning.

Not a bad professor, just a little boring (but he was my favorite out of all 4 professors for 501). Exams are just like the practice exams. Lecture content is pretty clear and easy to understand and doesn't go too fast through it. Will answer questions willingly. I'm indifferent to taking another class with him again

Dr. Butcher is an intelligent, smart professor, and this is clear in his lectures. His abilities to teach and create an active learning environment are not so well demonstrated. His slides are very confusing and he directly reads off of them, as if we can't read, and does not explain the information on the slides.

Lectures are dry and can be confusing. There's a LOT of "just FYI, you won't need to know this", and not nearly enough "remember this, it's important". He also doesn't explain a whole lot on the piazza when asked (it's a lot of "as I said before,", or "determining what to use is part of the question"). No flack against the dude, but I'm not a fan.

Dr. Butcher's lectures are so disconnected and he just reads off the slides and doesn't explain anything in detail so you're screwed when it comes to the exams. Also you have to calculate pH and pKa without a calculator on the exams...... it's 2021, nobody needs to do math without a calculator.

Dr. Butcher is very engaging and I loved his section of the course! His lectures were straight forward, as was the unit 1 exam. Overall, a great choice.

Butcher was a fair professor who clearly presented the material in asynchronous lectures. The unit's content was often disjointed, but Butcher does well to make it understandable. Tests were multiple choice and straightforward.

Prof. Butcher's lectures were well-paced and very clear. Exam content matched lecture content and was more than fair- I thought the practice sheets and practice exam were harder/more in depth than the real exam.

Prof Butcher is a solid biochem professor. I would recommend cranking the speed to 2x on the lecture videos or else you will probably zone out. He was straightforward on what you needed to know for the exams.

I don't understand where these good reviews are coming from. I had asked him for further clarification on a concept and he told me to "read the book and look online," which I had done. Clearly does not put forth the effort to help students outside of class, but his exams were easy enough by studying the lecture material.

Butcher is the most boring lecturer is have ever had. Yes, he gives all of the information you need but in the least stimulating way possible. His class wasn't too hard but it was very boring.

Took it online. LOVED SAM as a professor. He did a great job making it clear what was on the exam and it was very straight forward. He responded to Piazza questions fast and clear as well. Would highly recommend.

Not a bad professor by any means, but not exceptional either. Tons of information on the lecture slides (he straight-up recites a lot of it), and you need to try and memorize most of it if you're looking to get an A. Not super interesting to listen to, but you could tell he cares about his students.

He was a good professor because he did his job well. He teaches what is on the exam. He does provide background information, but lets you know it is not required. His exam reflects the material covered.

He was very clear with his expectations. While there is a lot of material in he's section, he narrows down his PowerPoint slides to the main topic. Biochemistry is difficult but he was easy to understand and told you what you need to know. His exam was very similar to the practice exam and his lectures.

Professor Butcher's section was very easy! The exam is straight-forward and he does not try to trick students with his questions. He has clear expectations; he tells students exactly what they need/don't need to know.

He is the 1st professor in the 501 sequence, I thought he did a good job. He wasn't boring to listen to, but generally professors pointing at a ppt all lecture is a sign of a lot of personal work to learn the material. I thought I was well prepared for the exam, but wasn't. Make sure to get a full understanding of the material which can be hard.

He is awesome! Best professor of the Biochemistry 501 sequence. He is very clear and he makes learning the material interesting. It is a great way to start out the course. His portion is about learning the foundation to what Biochemistry is all about.

Well organized lectures. Each concept is built on the previous one, so clear progression of knowledge. Explained expectations for the test, and the practice exams were very helpful in preparation. Basically, the course was so well taught that even though I'm an awful organic chemist I was easily able to follow along.

Clear lectures and doable exam questions, which are based on ppts and lectures. Read and memorize 2-3 days and do the practice exam. Then, u are good to go.

Very clear, great teacher, challenging iClicker questions, and a fair exam. I feel like I learned the most from this professor.

Straight forward. Clear. Fair exam. Don't bother with textbook. Slides are online with podcasts.

He taught the first section. Very easy to follow. Crystal clear. Appreciates anyone who comes to ask him questions. He seemed friendly for the most part. The exam was pretty straight forward. I didn't bother with the textbook.

BIOCHEM 501: Professor Butcher is a pretty good professor. His lectures are easy to follow, and once in a while he'll throw in a nice anecdote to help you remember a concept. Overall, I'd say the exam was pretty fair. Mostly based off lecture slides, so make sure you go over those in great detail.