James R. Keeffe

What an awesome teacher! Keefe is a pleasure to take and after dropping Erden's class (along with 15 other people) due to almost failing it's nice to know that if someone is a good teacher, you can get an A! I can't tell you what a difference Keefe makes for comprehendability by:

a) giving examples in class of reactions that are almost identical to test reactions b) assigning homework problems that are again almost identical to test questions c) giving multiple handouts that give clear explanations of why reactions are occuring - helping you to understand the mechanisms behind the organic chemistry! d) Holding test reviews e) Being focused on teaching as a lecturer and not having to worry about getting his next research grant.

Keefe is there to teach, help and explain. He rocks! Ochem II is supposedly twice as hard as Ochem I, so then why am I getting an A after I got a C from Sequin and almost an F from Erden? You tell me. It doesn't have to be hard people, take Berkman, Gronert or Keefe or you'll be sorry.

I was very pleased to have him as an ochem teacher. While he might not be as *charismatic* as some of the other professors at state, he's very helpful during his office hours and really makes it easy for someone to get a good grade in the course. Everything rides on the curve. Three/four exams and a final, with the final worth 40% of your grade. The homework isn't mandatory at all and can be turned in at your own leisure, which is nice. I would recommend doing the homework and turning it in on a timely basis, since a good record of turning in your homework boosts your grade. If you're not motivated and find the subject terribly boring to begin with, then one might have trouble staying awake in class because he's a bit soft-spoken..

As others have commented, Dr. Keefe presents material clearly, is very available for outside help, gives fair (if hard) tests and is a genial and likeable guy. He stays close to the text, so the text is a good resource. Often the homework problems that he's specified incorporate material that we've skipped, which is confusing and frustrating to those who feel sufficiently taxed by the material that we did cover. The only criticism I have of his lectures is that he doesn't do many problems in class, he doesn't ask many questions of the class and his approach is pretty low key, which can make it hard to pay attention to. I echo the concern in another review about people cheating in the class; it's systematic and depressing, not to mention bad for your own grade since the class is curved. And that's my biggest problem with the class: the grading system. It involves a series of averages, and it's impossible to know where you stand until the end of the class. He offers estimates if you go see him, but mine were far off my actual grade. I found this dispiriting. It also makes people in the class more negatively competitive.

dr. keefe is a very personal and likeable guy; he really cares about his students, which comes across most in his office hours. he is very willing to meet with students, get to know them and involved in their studies. organic chemistry is far from exciting or easy, but he does a very good job of delivering the bare bones very CLEARLY and organized. the tests were also very fair, and evenly spaced out. be prepared for the material to grow exponentially, though.. it starts off easy and gets much much harder. lectures are a tad dry, however, and not much was done to increase any enthusiasm about the topic, but i am just greatful for having such a steady, fair and organized professor to get me through it.

James Keeffe is one of the best instructors I have ever had, especially in chemistry. There were four midterms (90%), one of which was dropped, and a final (10%). There was ungraded homework "due" on every chapter covered; if you did the homework, it pushed your borderline grade up at the end of the semester. I found his lectures very interesting, but most of all CLEAR. If you have a hard time understanding chemistry, this is the instructor you want. Be prepared to stay on top of the subject matter, and remember examples from class, they are often used (or something very close is used) on midterms. I found the final more difficult than anticipated, but it was comprehensive so that is why it was hard. The instructor never went off the subject and was clearly well-prepared for the lecture material. I found the textbook to be easily understandable and clear. Lastly, I recommend James Keeffe because he really shows a desire to help students get the answers they need; every time I went to his office hour with a question, I left with a full understanding of what it was I had needed clarification on. He also took notice of my level of ability in the subject and encouraged me to study chemistry more.

Dr. Keefe is interesting and understanding instructor. I found his lectures to be interesting and very relevant to the text. His tests are a bit hard, but if you ask questions and attend lectures, you will definitely do well in class and learn a lot. We had a total of four tests, and a final. If you didn't do well on the tests you had a chance to show an improvement on the final, plus you can turn in your homework problems for a check, and if your grade is in between, homework will bring it up.

Dr. Keeffe makes a valient effort to make a tough and sometimes uninteresting subject likeable. He is very prepared for lectures, and makes himself available for office hours. He was real easy to approach - even with questions which were really minor, and answered them all. He even does group office hours when he gets too many students at one time to cram in his office. He gives tests about every 3 weeks, and even at this rate it was alot of material to cover.