PSY 3140 - Course Evaluations
personal engagement ... critical thinking ... genuine rapport
Biological Psychology is a course I have had the opportunity to teach several times since joining the faculty. This course is one that most students are timid of, they perceive it is "science-y" and they often says things like "I'm not any good at science so I'm scared I'll do poorly in this class." To a degree, those students are correct - the class is full of biology, chemistry, and elements of anatomy and physiology - but despite that, the majority of students in PSY 3140 report that their knowledge and also their confidence improves as a function of being in this class.
In Biological Psychology I am careful to incorporate the benefits of spaced retrieval in my teaching. At the beginning of 90% of our classes, I ask each student in the room a question about the material from the last couple of class days. I ask each student by name and I provide them with cues and feedback regarding their answer. This practice, 1) encourages students to take notes during class and refer to them to help them answer questions, 2) helps the students (and me) identify areas of the content that appear to be problematic, and 3) encourages retention of the material. Students in PSY 3140 consistently report in their open-ended comments that these reviews at the beginning of class are tremendously beneficial to their learning.
These buttons link to course evaluations for PSY 3140 sections that I have taught since my promotion to Associate Professor.
open ended comments
“Dr. Clark is probably my favorite instructor at UTC. Definitely my favorite in the Psych department!! Clark has interesting lectures and included funny videos and other components to engage her students. Also, on every exam, Dr. Clark included a page upon which we could give feedback on the course and her performance up to that point. I think that that allowed her to be the best she could be for us! She also gave study guides and was extremely willing to help at any time! So glad she’s at UTC!!”
“What I really appreciate about Dr. Clark is that she makes a real effort to get to know everyone in the
class; she learns everyone’s names and personalities, and then can incorporate that into explaining how concepts work so everyone has a good understanding of the material. I was looking forward to this class this semester and I was not disappointed; one of my favorites that I’ve taken here!”
“Daily review from what we learned from the class before was very helpful in constant retrieval of the material. It was also easier to study for the exams because we remembered much of the material.”
“Dr. Clark’s lectures are always beneficial. I’ve taken her before and love her teaching style. I felt like the review sessions at the beginning and end of class each day helped me to learn the information more efficiently and never feel like I was falling behind. She’s knowledgeable and always ready to field questions. The mini-lab was an excellent component of this class that I think every Psych student should have a chance to experience”
“Another part of this course that really lent to mastery of the material is that Dr. Clark offered mini labs. There were four mini labs and times to choose from. These mini labs allowed my classmates and I to learn more about a subject that we are particularly interested in pertaining to physiological psych and get that hands on experience. I also feel that Dr. Clark was able to have more of a one-on-one experience with us in that environment.
Dr. Clark is an amazing teacher and I love how she knows everyone by name.”
“I felt like I gained a lot of knowledge by taking this class. The material was presented in a way that
even harder concepts did not feel so difficult to grasp. The material was very interesting. The instructor was approachable with your questions and never made you feel dumb or less of a person if you had a hard time understanding things.”