Spokoyny is an AWESOME professor! He is very laid back, which makes him super approachable. He had office hours on Friday, but he invited students to stop by whenever and if he's available, he would welcome them.

He structures his class for the success of his students. It is really simple: if you do the work, you'll get a good grade. He offers extra credit, and a cheat sheet. No reason to fail! Take him!

Wow, so much to say about Professor Spokoyny. For one, I absolutely loved his class. Not only were his lectures engaging, but they were full of neat facts regarding inorganic chemistry that really changed my mind on the subject. Outside of class, he was very helpful and patient in explaining concepts in greater detail; he really cares about you learning and enjoying the material. If I could take another class with him I absolutely would.

I took this class in Winter of 2016 and I can say that it has probably been the most enjoyable upperdivision class that I have taken at UCLA. Alex (prefers to go by first name) is funny, engaging, and incredibly smart with the lecture material. The only downside is the fact that his tests are difficult, and they can literally test on ANYTHING. His slides are vague as well, so if you don't go to class, thats on you. If you do better on the final, you can actually replace your midterm grade with it. I got about a 70% on the midterm and a 92% on the final, and so i had a 92% on both categories. My numbers may be a little off but he also does offer an EASY extra credit project which can boost your grade up by 5-10%!!! Take advantage of that and you should be fine. Just be prepared to ask questions, and write down EVERYTHING on the cheat sheet that he lets you take into the test.

My recommendation is to go to OH when you have questions, they help a lot. I would definitely recommend his class for Biochem majors who need an upper div elective.

This is a fantastic professor. You will learn so many interesting things in any class he teaches. This was one of my favorite classes at UCLA!

This class was awesome. Professor Spokoyny is a really good dude with an incredibly refreshing teaching style. The course was laid-back and interesting for every lecture. I learned a ton of really cool historical chemistry that has proved valuable in my experiences outside the classroom. Prof. Spokoyny himself is very easily to get along with and makes his expectations very clear. That said, he is very hands off and expects you to participate in your own learning. Participation is really paramount -- do not miss any lectures and attend OH any time you have any questions. If you attend lectures and pay close attention (stay off your phone, don't talk, take notes, ask questions, etc.), you probably won't need to study for the exams. Also, from talking with other students, this class with Spokoyny is a hands-down better experience than taking it with other professors. If you are enrolling in this class with Spok, you're making a good move. Good luck!

Alex is a great professor and the best co-worker. Joining his class, you will have a great opportunity to work with him. Instead of just telling you what to do, he offers you the time to think what you should do and the way you should approach a problem which is very important cause we eventually all need to learn how to do science by ourselves. So take his classes!

I loved taking this course with Spakoyny. I learned a lot about research and developing catalysts.

Taking a class with Prof. Spokoyny is always a pleasure! I have taken both Chem 171 and Chem 172 with him. What's even more helpful than his engaging and funny lectures is that his door is always open to discuss any of the materials or even help you with astute advice on how to apply to grad school. The tests are tough but it's UCLA so that's normal. If you study, do your assignments, make sure you get the material, you'll be fine! I highly recommend taking this class with Prof. Spokoyny!

Alex is a great professor. He is fun and approachable! It was refreshing to have a class that was different from all other classes I have taken. His class will give you an idea of how a graduate research will be like. Also, I liked that we got to work with other classmates and got a paper published as a class! If you are interested in going to grad school, I would highly recommend taking his class.

You will feel right away that Alex is one of the best professors you will see in the chem department. He is a very caring person and knowledgeable. He guides and encourages you how to think and approach problems like a real scientist. You will get to learn a lot of essential techniques that will be useful in graduate research.

I highly recommend his class.