Gainer has given fair quizzes and final, which was adequately challenging to give me some incentive to put in effort while not ruining my grade. His curve was surprisingly PHAT - got an A+ with an A- raw score. Forming a study group is kind of important in this course.

Lectures are OK, I wish he would put in like 1% more effort into giving recommended book problems to guide us. Quizzes and exams are super tough but the curve was great (in person my 89 was an A+). I just got the sense that he didn't care as much as other professors. Funny guy though. Use the organic chemistry tutor on youtube, textbook is trash.

Gainer is really great at explaining confusing topics and making ochem as accessible and easy to comprehend as possible. His notes are hard to understand without attending lectures. He is also helpful during office hours. This is a difficult class but Gainer doesn't assign busy work and his worksheets/quizzes are straightforward.

Tests were every other week and were fair. Gainer is good prof but the class goes very fast and can be difficult to follow. If you miss something in class its also hard to go back as his notes are very confusing to understand.

Gainer is good at making things clear. He's very patient cares every individuals.

Gainers tests were very fair, although this is to say that they werent difficult. For honors ochem, he was a very good professor and explained the material very well. He makes sure you actually understand what you are learning rather than just memorizing.

Everyone gives Gainer a bad rating. OChem is just a really hard class, and they are mad they are struggling. Gainer is a great teacher, incredibly approachable and knowledgable. He won't give you anything you didn't earn. If you read the suggested readings, do the end of chap problems, and attend lecture, you will most def get an A.

109C is a TOUGH class. Taken summer of 2021, last online quarter due to the pandemic. The class was graded by weekly quizzes, 1 final exam (worth 2 quizzes, and same difficulty), HW, and class participation. If you spend the time to READ THE TEXTBOOK/watch lectures, you can do well. Gainer is fair (not easy), and available for many OH. Small Curve.

Took this class in 2014. Lost my best friend and roommate during the Isla Vista Shootings. Went into Gainer's office to plead for accommodations and sympathy, he failed me and I had to retake this course.

I'm bad at chemistry and get confused. So, if you are as well then I would recommend getting him but you need to spend time on his videos. they are semi helpful, lectures tell u what's on the exam. You need to study to pass. He's a good teacher who makes it basic to understand but if you are like me u need further help than this. Exam is extreme

I have taken many hard professors but he takes the cake. Weird deadlines, weird rules. The class is full of absolutes. The curve is down not up. I had a 80% raw score on the final and ended up with a 67% after the curve. DO NOT TAKE HIM IF THERES ANOTHER OPTION>

Took this class during the summer 2020. He made sure there was a final and did not curve the class. Only dropped one quiz even though syllabus said two (very misleading). Quizzes are hard and based on videos and what he says. Wish he was more understanding. Spring quarter 2020 he didn't give previous quarter a final AND curved. good luck

I had Gainer for 109C and for Chem6AL. I thought he did a really good job transitioning the courses to online learning on such short notice. Both classes require a lot of hard work, but he was always willing to answer questions. Lab was only miserable because I had an awful TA. I have had Bruice, Read, and Gainer and Gainer was my favorite.

This review may be biased, due to the temporary shift to online instruction. The lab class was enjoyable, and I learned a lot, even though I could not be there to do the experiments. Dr. Gainer clearly tried his best to accommodate the CHEM 6BL students. Be sure to go to office hours to address any concerns about grading or lab concepts.

least favorite class and least favorite professor of my entire education

He makes this class so much harder than he needs to be. All of my friends who've taken ochem at other schools say that their series is nowhere near as hard as ours. It takes the joy out of learning about ochem and even about my other classes because I don't have the time to focus on them at all. Admin seriously needs to talk to him about this.

He was able to adapt to online much more quickly than most professors amidst the pandemic. Watching the videos is really important and the weekly quizzes were kinda okay- open book doesn't make it easier!! Pay attention to what he emphasizes because it's usually quizzed on. He's purposely difficult to get you to learn a lot, especially 6AL and 6BL.

Gainer started off as just seeming like a tough grader on quizzes by marking down on any small issue even if it had nothing to do with the problem. But about 5 weeks in the lecture videos started getting to the point where he was just reading out of the textbook, not breaking things down, which really put a bummer on biochem for a lot of us :( GL

You will be expected to know things that nobody has told you and your lab reports will be scrutinized. It's now week 7 and I have not seen Dr. Gainer once. The fact that the class is solely taught by an overworked and underpaid graduate student should tell you enough. How the course goes will entirely depend on which TA you receive.

Best teacher at UCSB, wants all the students to do well and very helpful at office hours. His tests are really hard but fair and with a big curve. CLAS also helps a lot. More work that other teachers but his lectures are great and its a rewarding class

I took Chem 6AL and 6BL with Dr. Gainer and I thought the labs were a lot of work definitely, but also felt like getting an A in both came pretty naturally with a proper amount of effort. The curve is very generous and you can tell he truly cares. This isn't a class where you can scathe by not knowing what's going on, but it is very fair.

Overall he's great! Dr. Gainer expects deep understanding of the concepts, needing to know the why behind it. His curves are extremely generous, I didn't do too hot on the second midterm but absolutely killed it on the final and ended with an A.

best chem professor at ucsb

Dr. Gainer is a real gem of a professor! At first, his lectures were super confusing, but doing the readings beforehand made his lectures easier to understand. He gives explanatory feedback on exams and during office hours. In hindsight, the answers to his exams were pretty simple. Do the book problems, read the book+ class notes, and STUDY HARD.