PSYC355 | PlanetTerp

Information	Review
Arianna Gard PSYC355 Expecting a B Anonymous 06/18/2024	This class content is interesting, but Dr. Gard makes this class much more difficult than other professors. Our exams were in person and were closed notes, while other professors had online, open note exams. After the first exam Dr.Gard let us use a one sided cheat sheet due to very low exam averages. She also introduced GSS since exam averages were on the low side. She is really nice but teaches at a very fast pace and often crams a lot of content on every slide, making the information harder to process and retain.
Arianna Gard PSYC355 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/31/2024	I love Dr. Gard. She's very knowledgeable and her lectures are engaging. But this is the hardest class I've ever taken. Here is some important advice: • Be there for EVERY CLASS. Attendance is 10% through clickers (I could've gotten an A if it wasn't for that). • Answer every question on the study guide to know everything from the lecture (details are important). • Make sure to be super super precise with the written assignments because the TAs are harsh graders (at least this semester). • Do the extra credit assignments. The bump can end up being 5% to your total grade it's amazing.
Elizabeth Redcay PSYC355 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/18/2024	TLDR- Kind professor, chill class. Grading- Exams were weighted 50% (2x15 for midterms and 20 for final). In class activities were easy and totaled 20%. Reading quizzes (online, 24%) and in class clickers (6%) rounded out the remaining 30%. Structure- Each week involved on average one reading quiz (online, due before class) and one in class activity (you can work with a partner and finish outside of class). Lectures were T/Th 1h15 but I swear they lasted for 3 hours - the lectures really tended to drag. Content- There are 7 themes that the course emphasizes in multiple contexts of developmental psychology. Dr Redcay focuses on these and it helps to tie everything together. Most of the essay questions on exams were related to themes, so make sure you understand and can apply them. I found the content interesting and varied. Professor- It is clear that Dr Redcay cares about teaching her class well in addition to her research (whereas some other professors clearly just care about their research). She had a mid-semester feedback survey and changed a few class aspects in response to student feedback (for example reading quiz due dates). She also made it so we could take exams outside of class due to internet connectivity issues in ESJ. I'm not sure if that will continue but still demonstrates that she is kind and receptive to feedback. Overall I would recommend!
Arianna Gard PSYC355 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/16/2024	This class is 10X more difficult with Dr. Gard. She is really nice and passionate but makes this class much harder than other professors. She actually had to curve our midterms due to such low test score averages. After the first exam, she let us bring a one sided cheat sheet, but other professors have exams online and open note.
Elizabeth Redcay PSYC355 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/01/2024	The only downside to this class is that there is a LOT of reading--that being said, anyone who manages their time decently enough will be fine. Exams and reading quizzes are fair and she has a lot of resources to go to if you need help. Class content is relatively easy enough and although participation points are recorded, she tries to make lectures as engaging as she can. Overall, I fully recommend this class and professor!
Arianna Gard PSYC355 Anonymous 03/31/2024	DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS. This is by far the most work ive done for any class. The professor runs through the slides as fast as possible with paragraphs on each slide. The exams are horrific, requiring you to memorize so much information and then asking the most specific questions on the test. Completely unreasonable amount of work, grading, exams, lecture style. Only take this if you want to spend 90% of your time on it and still end up barely passing.
Fanita Tyrell PSYC355 Expecting a B+ terpsleuth201 01/02/2024	Tyrell is passionate and a nice professor. She seemed very knowledgeable about the topic and gets excited about the material. A lot of people like the class but personally, I found the lectures to be boring. The lectures are not difficult to follow but just not super engaging. There are clicker questions but she also allows a lot of excusals for missing clickers if you cannot make it to class. The application assignments were annoying but not super difficult. Lots of quizzes but again, not difficult.
Fanita Tyrell PSYC355 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/06/2023	Dr. Tyrell was so cute and sweet. Every year the TA's are different and in my opinion as a student and TA, the TA's are what help/hurt you the most, not the professor. Dr. Tyrell was great and so were the TA's but that was my luck. Good and easy PSYC class and fulfills the requirements needed.
Fanita Tyrell PSYC355 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/05/2023	Very engaging and easy to follow lectures. As long as you skim the readings and attend class, you will be fine.
Fanita Tyrell PSYC355 Anonymous 07/24/2023	Dr. Tyrell is a very passionate professor that brought interesting anecdotes to lecture. She incorporated professional development tips that helped students understand the different career paths for common professionals involving psychology degrees!
Fanita Tyrell PSYC355 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 07/24/2023	Dr. Tyrell was an absolute delight! She made PSYC355 both enjoyable and rewarding! She has a funny sense of humor and a compassionate approach to the course and her students. When I was struggling and went to her, she showed me empathy and gave me support, which I truly appreciate. I strongly recommend her as a professor.
Tracy Riggins PSYC355 Expecting an A+ atp236 05/26/2023	There hasn't been a review in a few years, but I think Dr. Riggins is worth writing a review for. The class was run well and straightforward to get a good grade in. Dr. Riggins is clear of her expectations, and her team of TAs is quick to get grades out. There are clickers for participation, and lecture consists of going through slides about the readings. Dr. Riggins seemed responsive to questions and concerns both in the classroom and online. There is a lot of reading, but you can get away with skimming and reading the chapter summaries. There are open book reading quizzes for the readings to do as homework (maybe 1-2 chapters a week?). There are some in-class assignments that reinforced the material learned in class. There were 2 open note midterms and an open note "final" (all non-cumulative). Dr. Riggins provided study guides, and they exams were not stressful at all because I felt like I had more than enough time (look at the study guide and skim over the slides). There were a few extra credit opportunities throughout the semester (like SONA studies and course evaluation survey) that were very easy to complete and boosted my grade a fair amount. Overall, I would recommend taking this class with Dr. Riggins.
Kelsey Canada PSYC355 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/19/2018	The class is pretty doable and she drops the three participation grades, two online quiz grades, and two in class activities. There's also a lot of extra credit you can earn throughout the semester. All of her exams are pretty easy. I only studied using the slides and got B's/A's on all of them.
Tracy Riggins PSYC355 Expecting an A- catscatscats 12/05/2014	Professor Riggins is a pretty good teacher and you can tell she really cares about the subject and is interested in it. She tries to make her lectures interesting by adding videos, but sometimes that just isn't enough. The material seemed to be repetitive of both topics covered earlier in class and also topics I've covered in previous psyc classes. I'm not extremely interested in developmental psyc, so my review may be a bit biased. She also lets you know when there will be an in-class assignment ahead of time and puts roughly half of the lectures on Panopto which is great for when you just can't.
Tracy Riggins PSYC355 Expecting a B Anonymous 10/21/2014	For the amount of reading and additional movies and videos you're responsible for, she is a nice lady but a horrible lecturer -- she basically just reads from the book and goes entirely too fast. doesn't so much care if you actually are learning but rather you know her opinion and agree with it. Especially with her online quizzes, the questions more often than not are ridiculously unfair and graded in an entirely opinionated fashion, she will blatantly say that although the textbook proves all answers are correct, she was only looking for one specifically. She also holds an in class assignment the day of thanksgiving traveling and refuses to help out students because "its on the syllabus already"
Tracy Riggins PSYC355 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/29/2011	Nothing wrong with the teacher, she tries to engage and is knowledgeable. The class Developmental Psyc kinda lacked for me. You learn a whole bunch about infants. I would recommend this class to a girl but not a guy. Tests aren't too bad but can be tricky. If you go to class with good notes you don't really need the book although its good as a reference. Powerpoints are all online which is huge if you miss a class.
Tracy Riggins PSYC355 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/23/2011	Tracy is SO NICE. She's very helpful and always willing to talk to students and try to help them out. She tried to keep the class interesting by having many videos and photos in her lectures. However, the exams are most of the class grade, and they're tough. You definitely have to study and read the chapters. If you're not good at exams then this class can be rough. The chapters in the textbook are REALLY LONG and take hours to outline but it's worth it.
Tracy Riggins PSYC355 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/09/2011	Basically I loved her. Great Professor, easy class but she makes it interesting. She really knows the material and is great one on one. Class is easy and fair with multiple opportunities for extra credit. I would love to take a class just to have her as my professor again.
Tracy Riggins PSYC355 Expecting a b+ Anonymous 01/28/2010	dr. riggins is a really enthusiastic, vibrant teacher. she makes lectures really interesting filled with fun video clips. if you read the chapters you'll do well on the exams. she gives extra credit opportunities that can really improve your grade and she'll drop your lowest midterm grade (best two out of three).
Tracy Riggins PSYC355 Expecting a B Anonymous 11/06/2009	I love Professor Riggins! She is such a nice and helpful teacher. You do not need to attend her lectures if you read the chapters assigned, but if you need some clarifications, then do attend. She shows many videos that are really useful! Exams are not hard!
Tracy Riggins PSYC355 Expecting an A terpzilla 05/21/2009	You don't need to go to her class to do well on the exams, and she is well aware of this, which is why she has 6 in-class activities on undisclosed days. Her powerpoints pretty much have all the information. Although you can get by without the book, I bought an older edition of the book for like $5 and all I read was the chapter summaries as well as the powerpoints that she posted. As far as Dr. Riggins, she is really nice and approachable.
Tracy Riggins PSYC355 Expecting an A smgonzo 12/12/2008	I really enjoyed this class. Professor Riggins did a really good job of keeping the class interesting and showed us a lot of cool videos. She explained the information clearly and if you go to class and read the text it's pretty easy to get an A.

Arianna Gard
PSYC355

Expecting a B
Anonymous
06/18/2024

This class content is interesting, but Dr. Gard makes this class much more difficult than other professors. Our exams were in person and were closed notes, while other professors had online, open note exams. After the first exam Dr.Gard let us use a one sided cheat sheet due to very low exam averages. She also introduced GSS since exam averages were on the low side. She is really nice but teaches at a very fast pace and often crams a lot of content on every slide, making the information harder to process and retain.

Arianna Gard
PSYC355

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
05/31/2024

I love Dr. Gard. She's very knowledgeable and her lectures are engaging. But this is the hardest class I've ever taken. Here is some important advice: • Be there for EVERY CLASS. Attendance is 10% through clickers (I could've gotten an A if it wasn't for that). • Answer every question on the study guide to know everything from the lecture (details are important). • Make sure to be super super precise with the written assignments because the TAs are harsh graders (at least this semester). • Do the extra credit assignments. The bump can end up being 5% to your total grade it's amazing.

Elizabeth Redcay
PSYC355

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
05/18/2024

TLDR- Kind professor, chill class. Grading- Exams were weighted 50% (2x15 for midterms and 20 for final). In class activities were easy and totaled 20%. Reading quizzes (online, 24%) and in class clickers (6%) rounded out the remaining 30%. Structure- Each week involved on average one reading quiz (online, due before class) and one in class activity (you can work with a partner and finish outside of class). Lectures were T/Th 1h15 but I swear they lasted for 3 hours - the lectures really tended to drag. Content- There are 7 themes that the course emphasizes in multiple contexts of developmental psychology. Dr Redcay focuses on these and it helps to tie everything together. Most of the essay questions on exams were related to themes, so make sure you understand and can apply them. I found the content interesting and varied. Professor- It is clear that Dr Redcay cares about teaching her class well in addition to her research (whereas some other professors clearly just care about their research). She had a mid-semester feedback survey and changed a few class aspects in response to student feedback (for example reading quiz due dates). She also made it so we could take exams outside of class due to internet connectivity issues in ESJ. I'm not sure if that will continue but still demonstrates that she is kind and receptive to feedback. Overall I would recommend!

Arianna Gard
PSYC355

Expecting a B
Anonymous
05/16/2024

This class is 10X more difficult with Dr. Gard. She is really nice and passionate but makes this class much harder than other professors. She actually had to curve our midterms due to such low test score averages. After the first exam, she let us bring a one sided cheat sheet, but other professors have exams online and open note.

Elizabeth Redcay
PSYC355

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/01/2024

The only downside to this class is that there is a LOT of reading--that being said, anyone who manages their time decently enough will be fine. Exams and reading quizzes are fair and she has a lot of resources to go to if you need help. Class content is relatively easy enough and although participation points are recorded, she tries to make lectures as engaging as she can. Overall, I fully recommend this class and professor!

Arianna Gard
PSYC355

Anonymous
03/31/2024

DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS. This is by far the most work ive done for any class. The professor runs through the slides as fast as possible with paragraphs on each slide. The exams are horrific, requiring you to memorize so much information and then asking the most specific questions on the test. Completely unreasonable amount of work, grading, exams, lecture style. Only take this if you want to spend 90% of your time on it and still end up barely passing.

Fanita Tyrell
PSYC355

Expecting a B+
terpsleuth201
01/02/2024

Tyrell is passionate and a nice professor. She seemed very knowledgeable about the topic and gets excited about the material. A lot of people like the class but personally, I found the lectures to be boring. The lectures are not difficult to follow but just not super engaging. There are clicker questions but she also allows a lot of excusals for missing clickers if you cannot make it to class. The application assignments were annoying but not super difficult. Lots of quizzes but again, not difficult.

Fanita Tyrell
PSYC355

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/06/2023

Dr. Tyrell was so cute and sweet. Every year the TA's are different and in my opinion as a student and TA, the TA's are what help/hurt you the most, not the professor. Dr. Tyrell was great and so were the TA's but that was my luck. Good and easy PSYC class and fulfills the requirements needed.

Fanita Tyrell
PSYC355

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/05/2023

Very engaging and easy to follow lectures. As long as you skim the readings and attend class, you will be fine.

Fanita Tyrell
PSYC355

Anonymous
07/24/2023

Dr. Tyrell is a very passionate professor that brought interesting anecdotes to lecture. She incorporated professional development tips that helped students understand the different career paths for common professionals involving psychology degrees!

Fanita Tyrell
PSYC355

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
07/24/2023

Dr. Tyrell was an absolute delight! She made PSYC355 both enjoyable and rewarding! She has a funny sense of humor and a compassionate approach to the course and her students. When I was struggling and went to her, she showed me empathy and gave me support, which I truly appreciate. I strongly recommend her as a professor.

Tracy Riggins
PSYC355

Expecting an A+
atp236
05/26/2023

There hasn't been a review in a few years, but I think Dr. Riggins is worth writing a review for. The class was run well and straightforward to get a good grade in. Dr. Riggins is clear of her expectations, and her team of TAs is quick to get grades out. There are clickers for participation, and lecture consists of going through slides about the readings. Dr. Riggins seemed responsive to questions and concerns both in the classroom and online. There is a lot of reading, but you can get away with skimming and reading the chapter summaries. There are open book reading quizzes for the readings to do as homework (maybe 1-2 chapters a week?). There are some in-class assignments that reinforced the material learned in class. There were 2 open note midterms and an open note "final" (all non-cumulative). Dr. Riggins provided study guides, and they exams were not stressful at all because I felt like I had more than enough time (look at the study guide and skim over the slides). There were a few extra credit opportunities throughout the semester (like SONA studies and course evaluation survey) that were very easy to complete and boosted my grade a fair amount. Overall, I would recommend taking this class with Dr. Riggins.

Kelsey Canada
PSYC355

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
12/19/2018

The class is pretty doable and she drops the three participation grades, two online quiz grades, and two in class activities. There's also a lot of extra credit you can earn throughout the semester. All of her exams are pretty easy. I only studied using the slides and got B's/A's on all of them.

Tracy Riggins
PSYC355

Expecting an A-
catscatscats
12/05/2014

Professor Riggins is a pretty good teacher and you can tell she really cares about the subject and is interested in it. She tries to make her lectures interesting by adding videos, but sometimes that just isn't enough. The material seemed to be repetitive of both topics covered earlier in class and also topics I've covered in previous psyc classes. I'm not extremely interested in developmental psyc, so my review may be a bit biased. She also lets you know when there will be an in-class assignment ahead of time and puts roughly half of the lectures on Panopto which is great for when you just can't.

Tracy Riggins
PSYC355

Expecting a B
Anonymous
10/21/2014

For the amount of reading and additional movies and videos you're responsible for, she is a nice lady but a horrible lecturer -- she basically just reads from the book and goes entirely too fast. doesn't so much care if you actually are learning but rather you know her opinion and agree with it. Especially with her online quizzes, the questions more often than not are ridiculously unfair and graded in an entirely opinionated fashion, she will blatantly say that although the textbook proves all answers are correct, she was only looking for one specifically. She also holds an in class assignment the day of thanksgiving traveling and refuses to help out students because "its on the syllabus already"

Tracy Riggins
PSYC355

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/29/2011

Nothing wrong with the teacher, she tries to engage and is knowledgeable. The class Developmental Psyc kinda lacked for me. You learn a whole bunch about infants. I would recommend this class to a girl but not a guy. Tests aren't too bad but can be tricky. If you go to class with good notes you don't really need the book although its good as a reference. Powerpoints are all online which is huge if you miss a class.

Tracy Riggins
PSYC355

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/23/2011

Tracy is SO NICE. She's very helpful and always willing to talk to students and try to help them out. She tried to keep the class interesting by having many videos and photos in her lectures. However, the exams are most of the class grade, and they're tough. You definitely have to study and read the chapters. If you're not good at exams then this class can be rough. The chapters in the textbook are REALLY LONG and take hours to outline but it's worth it.

Tracy Riggins
PSYC355

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/09/2011

Basically I loved her. Great Professor, easy class but she makes it interesting. She really knows the material and is great one on one. Class is easy and fair with multiple opportunities for extra credit. I would love to take a class just to have her as my professor again.

Tracy Riggins
PSYC355

Expecting a b+
Anonymous
01/28/2010

dr. riggins is a really enthusiastic, vibrant teacher. she makes lectures really interesting filled with fun video clips. if you read the chapters you'll do well on the exams. she gives extra credit opportunities that can really improve your grade and she'll drop your lowest midterm grade (best two out of three).

Tracy Riggins
PSYC355

Expecting a B
Anonymous
11/06/2009

I love Professor Riggins! She is such a nice and helpful teacher. You do not need to attend her lectures if you read the chapters assigned, but if you need some clarifications, then do attend. She shows many videos that are really useful! Exams are not hard!

Tracy Riggins
PSYC355

Expecting an A
terpzilla
05/21/2009

You don't need to go to her class to do well on the exams, and she is well aware of this, which is why she has 6 in-class activities on undisclosed days. Her powerpoints pretty much have all the information. Although you can get by without the book, I bought an older edition of the book for like $5 and all I read was the chapter summaries as well as the powerpoints that she posted. As far as Dr. Riggins, she is really nice and approachable.

Tracy Riggins
PSYC355

Expecting an A
smgonzo
12/12/2008

I really enjoyed this class. Professor Riggins did a really good job of keeping the class interesting and showed us a lot of cool videos. She explained the information clearly and if you go to class and read the text it's pretty easy to get an A.

Reviews for PSYC355