2.5

Donald Donderi

Psychology - McGill University

2.5
Quality
3.2
Difficulty
N/A
Would Retake
87
Reviews
2.5
Quality
3.2
Difficulty
2.5
Helpful
2.6
Clarity

N/A

Would Retake

87

Reviews

Rating Distribution
Official

5

15

4

9

3

15

2

28

1

20

What Students Say

I really enjoyed Don's lectures

PSYCH100 - 5.0 rating

Really enjoyed his lectures, always interesting

PSYCH100 - 5.0 rating
Class Info

Textbook Required

100%

Grade Predictor

Your expected effort level

LowHigh

Predicted Grade

B+

62% confidence
Based on 4 grades
Most common grades:
B (2)
Fail (1)
A (1)
Grade Distribution
A(1)B(2)C(0)D(0)F(0)A-/B+(1)
Based on 5 reported grades
B: 2
Fail: 1
A: 1
B+: 1
Rating Trend

Improving

+0.72 avg change
Dec
Jan
Mar
Sep
Jan
Aug
Last 6 months
Ratings by Course

PSYCH451

5.0

(1)

PSYC451

4.5

(2)

204100A

4.0

(1)

PSYC451HFRT

4.0

(1)

PSYCH201

4.0

(1)
+15 more courses
Difficulty by Course

PSCH100

5.0

PYC100

4.0

PYSC100

4.0

PYSCH101

4.0

100

3.5

Reviews (87)
2.0
3.0
204100
Jan 26, 2002

He is monotonous, and rabbles between ESP and aliens.

4.0
3.0
204100A
Feb 12, 2002

No Comments

3.0
1.0
100
Feb 20, 2002

No Comments

2.0
3.0
204100
Feb 26, 2002

boring

1.0
3.0
INTROTOP
Grade: Fail
Mar 21, 2002

rambles. why go to class when you have ICC? incredibly boring.

2.0
2.0
PSYC100
Mar 22, 2002

No Comments

1.0
5.0
PSYC100
Apr 25, 2002

No Comments

2.0
5.0
100
Oct 11, 2002

Bring a pillow

1.0
3.0
PSYC100
Oct 11, 2002

Go to the conferences b/c he can't teach!

1.0
4.0
PYC100
Grade: A
Oct 13, 2002

seems like a nice enough guy but can't teach

4.0
3.0
PSYC100
Oct 17, 2002

lots of reading... the subject is interesting... brain-nervous system....

3.0
5.0
PSYC100
Oct 18, 2002

Read your book. Listen through ICC. and pray. The essays tests are HARD!

1.0
4.0
PSYC100
Grade: B+
Oct 23, 2002

For anyone who wants to major in psych at McGill, DON'T LET HIM DISCOURAGE YOU!!

2.0
4.0
PSYC100
Nov 3, 2002

hmm....can be interesting if you REALLY concentrate (which can be hard......)

3.0
3.0
PSYC100
Nov 29, 2002

Way too much name dropping. Material's interesting, prof is NOT.

2.0
4.0
PSYC100
Dec 28, 2002

lectures were often irrelevant

2.0
3.0
PSYC100
Jan 7, 2003

awful course, very unhelpful when approached...

2.0
4.0
PSYCH100
Jan 9, 2003

My advice--read the book+listen to lectures online-he's so bad, he's almost good

2.0
4.0
PSYC100
Feb 4, 2003

Retire already

5.0
4.0
100
Feb 25, 2003

the course is much harder than you would expect for a 100 level, and very scientifically oriented, but if that interests you he is great

2.0
2.0
PSYC100
Mar 19, 2003

This course was hideous but it's easy enough if you just read the book. Everything in the lectures is fluff and he tests straight out of the book. Don't let him keep you from taking further psyc courses!

2.0
3.0
PHYC100
Apr 3, 2003

run far & fast. DO NOT TAKE PHYC 100!!! NOOOOOOO!

3.0
1.0
PSYC100
Apr 18, 2003

Easy class. It's hard to get an A (only 5 out of 400 people did) but I managed to easily get an A-, with just reading the textbook the day before the exam. Going to class is useless, he will only put you asleep!

1.0
3.0
PSYCH
Apr 28, 2003

I had him 30 years ago and he was boring and irrelevant. Hebb and Melzack were teaching 100 then.

3.0
4.0
100
May 23, 2003

No Comments

2.0
3.0
PSYC101
Jun 4, 2003

wow this guy is awful - just make sure you know everything in the textbook and you will be fine for the lectures - if he mentioned it in the lectures and it's not in the textbook, you don't need to know it - but i would recommend you stay away anyway

1.0
5.0
PSCH100
Oct 17, 2003

No Comments

1.0
5.0
PSYC100
Oct 27, 2003

retire

2.0
2.0
PSYC100
Oct 28, 2003

He seems more concerned with conveying to students that he is intelligent than with conveying any actual info to them- class attendance will drop steadily from the first lecture onwards.

2.0
4.0
PYSC100
Nov 7, 2003

I can never pay attention to anything he says in class. psyc 100 is awful.

5.0
3.0
PSYC100
Dec 6, 2003

go don don. i really enjoyed this class.

2.0
3.0
PSYC100
Dec 13, 2003

terrible .... just terrible. i cannot describe how boring this guy is. however, dont base your opinion of psychology in general on just his class

2.0
3.0
PSYC100
Dec 13, 2003

Don't go to class. Listen to the lectures on the ICC website and then you can fast forward through all the pointless anecdotes and random tangents. Plus you can pause him when you get tired of listening to him. If you go, fall asleep in the comfy chairs!

2.0
3.0
PSYC100
Dec 27, 2003

Read the text book and listen to his lectures. No need to write notes on lectures. Always off on a tangent thats not on the exam. Final Exam multiple choice-know the details of brain. Bad, boring class!

2.0
4.0
PSYC100
Feb 10, 2004

Stay away! Sitting through those lectures is torture - avoid if you can

3.0
3.0
PSYC100
Mar 30, 2004

he's soso. Know the articles well and you should do alright.

5.0
3.0
PSYC100
Apr 2, 2004

Don Don is an amazing, informative professor, I highly recommend this class!

2.0
3.0
PSYC100
Apr 22, 2004

lectures are toture, just read the text.

1.0
1.0
PSYC100
Jul 26, 2004

very boring no need to attend class. read the text, and find a good TA and its pretty easy to get an A

4.0
3.0
PSYC451
Aug 2, 2004

not the most captivating speaker, but the material is interesting and atypical in comparison to the rest of the psych courses offered. i wouldn't hesitate to recommend him and the class to anyone who wants to explore fringe areas of psychology.

2.0
4.0
PSYCH100
Sep 10, 2004

horrible teacher. his lectures have nothing to do with the book. TAs are not useful as well.

1.0
3.0
PYCH100
Sep 15, 2004

Interesting subject, but this teacher is anything, but interesting. There are too many people in the class ~ it's just "blah". Good thing is that you can listen to lectures online and don't have to go to his tedious lectures.

1.0
3.0
PSYC100
Sep 23, 2004

No Comments

5.0
3.0
PSYC100
Sep 30, 2004

I enjoy his lectures very much. I'd hate to miss one.

3.0
4.0
PSYC100
Oct 5, 2004

This course is not easy.

2.0
3.0
PSYC100
Oct 24, 2004

this is the worst class i have ever taken at mcgill. there is no way a person can stay awake though an hour and a half class. i had to listen to his lectures online in 30 minute intervals. i know he doesnt have anything to work with because the material is terrible, but still...

2.0
4.0
PSYCH100
Oct 25, 2004

Oh my...this class BLOWS. It's so friggin boring and half the time you can't understand A SINGLE THING this guy says because he's incapable of speaking in common colloquial speech and complicates every little thing...listening to his lectures are like listening to the textbook on tape!

1.0
4.0
PYSCH101
Nov 9, 2004

the single worst class i have taken at mcgill. in first year, drove me to drop out of pysch and change my major. the lectures were so painfully boring and disorganized i wanted to cry.

3.0
5.0
PSYC100
Nov 18, 2004

The text for this course is horrible..and edited by DonDon. It's an interesting class but the lectures are long and at the end of the day. DonDon's smart, no doubt, and really cute when he talks about his cats, but if you don't go to conferences or use the TAs' notes, then you're dead.

1.0
5.0
PSYC100
Nov 30, 2004

This prof sucks!

5.0
2.0
PSYC451
Dec 2, 2004

Very intresting course, good teacher !

2.0
2.0
PSYC100
Dec 9, 2004

This is the WORST class ever. BUT please do not be discouraged. McGill psych is AMAZING and this intro class is BRUTAL compared to whats ahead! Donderi babbles about who knows what but everything you need is in the readings. Dont bother go to class, it WILL make you dumber. This is not a hard class.

2.0
5.0
PSYCH100
Dec 10, 2004

don don is one boring prof, he puts me to sleep, Also, the so call text of the course material is his own edited book, is a very confusing text, but i guess we are made to use it. text is not helpful , tutorials are better than goign to his class.

5.0
2.0
PSYCH451
Dec 10, 2004

Very good professor, very knowledgable and helpful.

4.0
3.0
PSYC101
Dec 16, 2004

A very intelligent man, but don't expect to stay awake in class. Read the textbook and got to tutorials and you'll do just fine.

3.0
3.0
PSYC100
Dec 19, 2004

SUCH a dry class, and completely unnecessary to attend. just use webCT i f you insist on taking it, and go to the weekly tutorials. even the readings put me to sleep,

3.0
4.0
PYSC100
Dec 22, 2004

Do not take this class expecting an easy mark. The man is impressive at first (and Im sure is still a great researcher etc) but hes not the most exciting lecturer. Also does not use any punctuation in his sentences. Material is very science-y and the exam is a lot of multiple choice. Oh Don Don.

4.0
3.0
PSYC100
Jan 5, 2005

as someone else said, he's very sciencey. not what most people expect in an intro psych class but if that's what you want he's great. not a "cool prof" but very willing to help if you're interested in the subject

4.0
4.0
PSYC100
Jan 9, 2005

Out of 567 people, only 5 got A marks. Watch out.

4.0
3.0
PSYC451HFRT
Mar 29, 2005

Very interesting class. He is a very boring lecturer. Not too hard. Readings can be long - but are interesting - not your usual psych stuff at all. Final Project and Final are 90% of your mark so you don't know how well you're doing until it's too late.

5.0
3.0
PSYCH100
Apr 6, 2005

No Comments

1.0
3.0
PSYC100
Apr 7, 2005

Don Don is a complete bore. I had more fun imitating him than I did learning the material. the textbook is ridiculous--it's a bunch of articles written by psychologists, and he does a horrible job of explaining the text. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME!!!!

3.0
3.0
PSYC100
Apr 7, 2005

He ruined psyc for all of those who have never taken it before. The textbook was a bunch of very sciency articles, very hard to study from. It was impossible to stay awake during DonDon's class, very dry. The class had potential, but he didn't take advantage of it.

1.0
5.0
PSYC100
Jul 29, 2005

SHITTY PROF!!!

2.0
4.0
PSYC100
Aug 1, 2005

Horrible prof! Boring textbook (all science articles) and his lectures are boring. Exams are alright, fairly easy multiple choice and essays that you can bull****. Do not take if you can avoid it! You will be put to sleep in his lectures.

3.0
3.0
INTROTOPSYCH
Sep 20, 2005

booooorrrrrrinnnnnnggggg! and the text book is wretched!!! i am about to graduate i an easily say that this was hands down the worst class i took at mcgill. no contest.

3.0
4.0
PSYC100
Jan 31, 2006

First off, psychology is a science, which is why the articles are science-y. But I pretty much agree with him being dry during his lectures. I have yet to stay awake during one of his classes.

5.0
1.0
PSYC100
Mar 3, 2006

Really great Prof.He's funny at times and the text is very interesting.He's actually worked with some of the people you study about and it's a breath of fresh air to study under someone who seems to be above the everyday Prof at McGill.

2.0
4.0
PSYC100
Mar 25, 2006

Ok, so i've already taken an intro to psyc class before, and this time around it really sucks. His lectures are just a repetition of the textbook which is really not helpful to begin with since its kind of seems like he rushed getting it to the publishers on time. Seriously, this class is not worth taking if he's teaching. Nice guy, horrible prof!!

3.0
3.0
PSYC100
Apr 19, 2006

everytime i went, i was looking for my pillow.

1.0
4.0
PSYC100
Apr 20, 2006

Easily one of the worst professors I've ever had. He loves the sound of his own voice so much that he embeds relevant lecture material under layers of ****. This makes an introductory course that much more inaccessible to someone who's never taken a psychology class before. Avoid him if you can, unless you want to fall asleep and learn nothing.

1.0
4.0
PSYC100
Apr 23, 2006

Worst teacher in the world. Hands down. Utterly terrible

5.0
3.0
PSYCH100
Apr 27, 2006

Don is amazing!!! Best teacher in the history of McGill...... always interesting and challenges each student when it comes to exam time.

1.0
3.0
PSYC100
May 2, 2006

Dondon is bad news. He talks garbage 80% of the time and 20% of the time is not articulate about the things he means to teach. His curriculum is flawed and a bad survey of psychology. He is boring and awful. Not to be not missed. Not.

5.0
3.0
PSYC100
Sep 20, 2006

Lots of people don't like him but I find him really interesting. He seems very very very intelligent and it's really nice to listen to someone who knows so much and thinks so fast. If you have a question, he's approachable after or during (but moreso after) class. Reading are pretty easy to understand and the tutorials and classes make it even easi

5.0
3.0
PSYC100
Oct 18, 2006

Everyone is too hard on him. He is very articulate and is able to explain all aspects of the class very well. However, he is not especially engaging and therefore a lot of the class is not paying attention by the end. But if you listen and you're not from Concordia, you will understand the material!

3.0
4.0
PSYC100
Nov 14, 2006

Make sure to keep up with the readings

4.0
3.0
PSYCH201
Dec 19, 2006

Not a bad Prof. He gives fair exams and decent lectures. Kinda dry, but overall a good prof.

1.0
4.0
PSYC100
Dec 21, 2006

Man...this guy is one of the worst profs. While the readings and material are quite interesting, he makes it uncomprehensible and dry. His lectures are awful and boring. He talks in circles about nothing. One class, for an hour and a half, talked about the different departments in psych. :S TA's were so much better, too bad they weren't teaching.

5.0
3.0
PSYC100
Dec 22, 2006

I think that he gets a lot more grief than he deserves. I enjoyed his class and the material very much. I like his personal stories; they add a nice touch to the course.

2.0
2.0
PSYC100
Jan 16, 2007

I went to 2 lectures all semester, read the textbook starting 2 days before the final and managed to pull off a B in the class even though I thought I failed the final. The lectures are boring and it's in Leacock 132. Don't go to class, use WebCT and read the book and take a nap in your room instead.

5.0
3.0
PSYC100
Jan 29, 2007

don don is a wonderful prof - he gave great philosophical fundamentals, and asked the larger questions about life and the nature of the mind. interesting readings, intelligent lecturer, good anecdotes.

2.0
4.0
PSYC100
Mar 1, 2007

Seems like a nice person but he made the material incomprehensible. None of it was connected and he never managed to make any sense in lecture. If only he didn't teach the one mandatory class for everyone taking psychology.

4.0
3.0
PSYCH100
Sep 7, 2007

Definitely knows the area of study. Not the most interesting guy, but he teaches what you need to know. The TAs each made notes so for the exam I studied those and watched the lectures on WebCT. Try to keep up with the readings. The course is mostly history of Psych rather than the science aspect so it is kind of dry.

1.0
1.0
ANAT182
Jan 28, 2013

He only taught one lecture during my astrobiology class, but his information was utter rubbish and pseudoscience. Horrible. Just don't.

5.0
1.0
PSYCH100
Grade: B
Aug 16, 2013

I really enjoyed Don's lectures. Good material and always happy to help.

5.0
1.0
PSYCH100
Grade: B
Aug 16, 2013

Really enjoyed his lectures, always interesting. He was also always willing to help.

Class Info

Textbook Required

100%

Grade Predictor

Your expected effort level

LowHigh

Predicted Grade

B+

62% confidence
Based on 4 grades
Most common grades:
B (2)
Fail (1)
A (1)
Grade Distribution
A(1)B(2)C(0)D(0)F(0)A-/B+(1)
Based on 5 reported grades
B: 2
Fail: 1
A: 1
B+: 1
Rating Trend

Improving

+0.72 avg change
Dec
Jan
Mar
Sep
Jan
Aug
Last 6 months
Ratings by Course

PSYCH451

5.0

(1)

PSYC451

4.5

(2)

204100A

4.0

(1)

PSYC451HFRT

4.0

(1)

PSYCH201

4.0

(1)
+15 more courses
Difficulty by Course

PSCH100

5.0

PYC100

4.0

PYSC100

4.0

PYSCH101

4.0

100

3.5

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