Martin Smith - University of Victoria

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Martin Smith - University of Victoria

Professor: Martin Smith

Department: Psychology

College: University of Victoria

Rating # 1

Overview:

Course: PSYC100A100B
Grade Received: C
Overall Rating: 3.0
Course Difficulty: 2.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: No
Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

If you like Ross from Friends, youll love hearing Dr. Martin talk. If you dont, youre in for a very dry lecture. While the lectures arent very engaging, he cares a lot about his students and wants them to succeed, which I personally enjoyed from him. Youre marked on both class forums and tests so the textbook is essential.

Rating # 2

Overview:

Course: PSYC100
Grade Received: A+
Overall Rating: 5.0
Course Difficulty: 3.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

I have taken psyc 100a/b and psyc 243 with martin and he is my favourite psychology professor. his lectures are super interesting and he is such an awesome dude! very nice and so smart. that being said, his classes are a bit of work. if you read the textbook and take detailed notes on each chapter and attend class you'll get an A+ but be prepared

Rating # 3

Overview:

Course: PSYCH100A
Grade Received: Not sure yet
Overall Rating: 2.0
Course Difficulty: 3.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: No
Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

I took his Summer intensive course and let me tell you, the tests are awful. I calculated & in a 2hr long lecture we cover 5/40 pages of 1 chapter, you go home and spend 5 hours learning the rest. Tests are '80% textbook 20% lectures.' his questioned are so complexly worded w/ mostly examples not terms. Not even tested on facts just association.

Rating # 4

Overview:

Course: 100B
Grade Received: A-
Overall Rating: 4.0
Course Difficulty: 3.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

He tests 80% from textbook and 20% from lecture slides. But he tells you that and all his lecture slides that he is going to ask questions on are highlighted. Its pretty easy tests if you read the textbook and highlighted slides that he posts. Overall, going to class is not mandatory to get a good grade.

Rating # 5

Overview:

Course: PSY100B
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 1.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: No
Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Lectures and course content are are interesting but he doesnt get started until 10-15 minutes after class begins so a lot of time is wasted. Test questions are obscure concepts from the book and he asks about specific research and people involved. Grades are returned maybe two weeks after evaluation.

Rating # 6

Overview:

Course: 100B
Grade Received: Not sure yet
Overall Rating: 2.0
Course Difficulty: 5.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: No
Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

His lectures seem unorganized and thrown together, and he does not cover a lot of course material. His tests are incredibly difficult and have a lot of ambiguous questions that lack content validity. Get used to memorizing the textbook, and even so, be prepared to feel blindsided with some of the questions he asks on his exams. Not an easy A!

Rating # 7

Overview:

Course: PSYC330
Grade Received: B
Overall Rating: 1.0
Course Difficulty: 3.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: No
Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Very unclear, lectures are hard to follow and irrelevant to exams. Slides are online, but are pointless to look at. All of the exam material comes directly from the textbook, so going to class is a massive waste of time. He comes across as very unprofessional, is usually late, and uses lecture time to chat with students.

Rating # 8

Overview:

Course: PSYC100B
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 1.0
Course Difficulty: 2.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: No
Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

If I wasn't so concerned with learning the material I would probably enjoy his lectures more. Last class he gave us a 5 min brake in a 80 min lecture, messed up both the videos he lined up and let us go 10 min early. there was no material he covered in lecture that couldn't be found in the text book. Hes a funny guy though.

Rating # 9

Overview:

Course: PSYC330
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 1.0
Course Difficulty: 5.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: No
Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

To reiterate the other negative comments: late every class, unprepared, and gives lectures that have very little to do with the exams, AND the exams are the hardest I've ever encountered. You have to memorize every detail from the text without any support from him. Doesn't bother answering questions about text content if you need clarification.

Rating # 10

Overview:

Course: PSYC330
Grade Received: B
Overall Rating: 1.0
Course Difficulty: 5.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: No
Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Lectures were basically useless, you learnt nothing by going to them. Iclickers made you want to show up to though because lord knows you're going to need the extra 3% bonus at the end. This was the hardest I have ever worked for so little in return. I spent 18+ hours a week studying and reading for this class. By the end I gave up on this class.

Rating # 11

Overview:

Course: PSYC330
Grade Received: Not sure yet
Overall Rating: 1.0
Course Difficulty: 5.0

For Credit: No
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: No
Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Pretty much taught myself this course. Lectures generally a waste of time. Tests can be fair, but multiple choice might catch you off guard. Projects had potential but guidelines needlessly difficult. Unfortunate, cause he seems like a nice guy. If you don't get the text, you won't pass.

Rating # 12

Overview:

Course: PSYC330
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 1.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: No
Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Get ready to teach yourself! Or even the whole class as Martin will not be teaching you anything, he truly does not care!

Rating # 13

Overview:

Course: PSYC330
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 1.0
Course Difficulty: 5.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: No
Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

most difficult class I have ever taken, and you WILL need the textbook, it's your best friend. Exams are all textbook material, hard, and harshly marked. Lectures are utterly useless. He talks about the book he's writing and completely irrelevant material...I only went for the 3% clicker points. Would not recommend Martin.

Rating # 14

Overview:

Course: 12757A01
Grade Received: C+
Overall Rating: 1.0
Course Difficulty: 3.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: No
Would Take Again: No
Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Late if he decided to actually show up to class. The only thing he did was get TAs to show videos. The few times I did see him he was extremely rude and even embarrassed a student in front of the entire lecture for going to the washroom.

Rating # 15

Overview:

Course: PSYC100A
Grade Received: A+
Overall Rating: 3.0
Course Difficulty: 2.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Course was structured in a way that sets you up for success (research bonus, forums, etc.), do the work and you're in for an easy A. Martin will waste your time. Get ready to hear about the books he is writing and be prepared for his infamous "Don't pack up early." Will waste your time and show up late every single day. Exams were fair.

Rating # 16

Overview:

Course: PSYC100A
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 1.0
Course Difficulty: 2.0

For Credit: N/A
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: No
Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

forums were difficult and unfairly marked, tests were odd and on pointless aspects of the texts rather on the actual important material, would always keep class late since he started class late, off topic, only motivator was the 3% for the iclicker participation

Rating # 17

Overview:

Course: PSCY100A
Grade Received: A+
Overall Rating: 2.0
Course Difficulty: 1.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: No
Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

I wasn't a huge fan of Dr. Smith or the class. He's a nice guy and obviously cares about his students, but I found that the only thing motivating me to go to class was iclicker points. The course is very general and was covered in an even more superficial way in class.

Rating # 18

Overview:

Course: RS200B
Grade Received: A
Overall Rating: 4.0
Course Difficulty: 3.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

LOVED HIM. Knows what he's talking about. Talks with passion. Is a bit disorganized.. oh and if you miss his class you won't pass. Really interesting class. By no means an easy one.

Rating # 19

Overview:

Course: PSYC100A
Grade Received: Not sure yet
Overall Rating: 5.0
Course Difficulty: 1.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

This man is a great teacher. Although his classes are large (200+ people), he somehow finds a way to make himself personable. He is very encouraging. If you take his class, don't be afraid to answer questions out loud. This man really deserves the best. And those blue eyes...

Rating # 20

Overview:

Course: 100A
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 1.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: No
Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Such a bad prof, totally avoid, hes a bad marker and has so many assignments, you will have a quiz, forum and midterm all in one week. You have to to tests and quizes on stuff before hes gone over it, you will be reading chapter 6 studying for the midterm and be doing chapter 4 in class at the same time

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