2.1
Quality4.4
Difficulty14%
Would Retake98
Reviews14%
Would Retake
98
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
10
4
14
3
12
2
16
1
46
What Students Say
“I was told horrible things about Prof”
PSY201 - 3.0 rating“Dont take if youre a slow/bad test taker”
PSY201 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
50%
Textbook Required
14%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
C+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.04 avg changeRatings by Course
PSY221
4.0
(1)PSY101F
4.0
(1)PSY101HON
4.0
(1)PSY310
3.2
(5)DEVELOPMENTAL
3.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
PSY221
5.0
PSYCH
5.0
PSYCH201
5.0
PSY201B
5.0
PSY491
5.0
Reviews (98)
love her class, always willing to help, teaches w/ power point, uses blackboard
She's hard, but it's a great class
Hardest tests I've taken at NU. You think you know it, but you don't. Read book.
Hugely disorganized, totally uncaring about her sts (no other teacher at NU has not learned my name by the end of the semester but HER- and it was a TINY class and I was one of the few who participated regularly) SUPER hard tests, indifferent attitude
really hard tests, no matter how much you study and you think your answers are right...they arent
She is very boring. She teaches right on power point, but the tests have nothing to do with what was discussed in class... absolutely NOTHING!
This class sucks. Like the other comments, I agree that the tests are harder than anything you will ever take. You will take straight notes off of Power Point for the entire hour and 20 mins, and she will never let you out early.
This is the worst class I have taken at NU. Donna is disorganized, uncaring, and overall not dedicated to her students. She makes the tests nearly impossible, the deadlines are very hard to meet, and her class is beyond boring. All about research.
She's a nice person, but the powerpoint notes she gives are almost incomprehensible when you go to study for a test because they are very incomplete. She asks very obscure questions on her tests as well.
very nice lady. Class is a little boring. Tests are very hard! Read the book. She is trying to learn people's names. Very approachable. But I do agree the class is very hard!
did anyone ever notice she never knows the answers to questions asked in class? she only knows information on the lecture she prepared for(if she even did that!) she always answers with "thats a good question..i don't know" try looking that
I disagree with the other comments! Dr. Thompson is a very nice lady who knows her stuff. Her tests are really not bad. Some people just don't know how to take good notes. You should add other things to what she has on the power point, and its easy.
horrible...doesn't help and pulls material on the tests out of god knows where
Her tests are kinda hard, but if you read the book you should be able to pull off B's. The class can get boring at times and we talked about babies for forever, so if you're interested in the first 3 years of life I'd take the class.
if you like learning from a book then youll like this class. she just gives you an overview of the book in class on boring powerpoints. her tests are hard but she does offer some extra credit. do everything you can and if youre in danger of failing then talk to her...she might be nice.
She gives a lot of notes!!
DO NOT COUNT ON LEARNING ANYTHING IN HER CLASSES!!!! She can not answer any questions that you ask her and can be very unpleasant at times!!! You can also count on staying after class as she has no concept of time! Worst professor ever and I mean EVER!!!!!
No Comments
this is the worst class ive taken yet, dont take it, find a substitue
Bad. You can study but it wont help. Bring a Pillow, and admire her scrunchie collection.
Personally, I liked her..you either like her or you dont! she's defintley a challenge..you have 3 tests..make sure to study ur notes and the text inside&out!..i thought she was a very smart lady & a good teacher..just a tough grader
she is a good teacher in class and gives you lots of notes. However her tests are very hard! I know PSY majors who took her and just passed with a D. that should explain alot
Knows the answers to very few questions. Monotonously reads straight off the power point the entire class, NOTHING discussed in class will actually appear on the test. Tests are nearly impossible to get a decent grade. AVOID AT ALL COSTS.
worst professor I have ever had. class average was a D, and we were almost all psych majors. extremely hard essays on tests. very unclear. cares more about research than teaching.always kept us late. must read and reread book to pass tests. AVOID, unless you want to lower your gpa. worst class I have ever taken.
Is Ms. Thompson, a boring teacher? Yes, she is, but is she a knowledgeable and helpful teacher who works arduously for her students to pass? Most definitely. Unless you?re a pusillanimous student who fears for their gpa instead of challenging themselves to truly understand course work, and at a high intellectual standard, avoid this class.
Probably the worst teacher at this school!!
Probably the worst teacher I have ever had for psych. And the worst part is she is the only professor who teaches certain psych classes so your stuck with her. Her tests are hard and all she does is read off the powerpoints in class. Half the time she didn't know the answers to students questions. Only cares about her research not her students.
She sucked.. I learned nothing from this class and it killed my GPA.. if you are taking other classes besides hers dont take it..
Boring Classes, Notes don't teach you anything. Tests Extremely Hard. No curves given.
She reads off her powerpoints the whole class. The notes don't make sense. You basically have to read the text and teach yourself. Don't recommend taking her.
She's an Ok professor. She bounces everywhere with her powerpoints and its very confusing. The test are really hard(basically hard to understand). You have to take this class if you are a psych major, so you are stuck with her. Sometimes she doesn't even know what she is talking about, but we all have to deal with it. If you have her, Good Luck!!
Dr. Thompson is an extremely good professor. She will challenge you, and make you work to your fullest potential, but it will pay off in the end. She is a very nice, outstanding woman, and cares about her students. Her class will be a challenge for you, so if your not ready for hard work, take another class.
Her lectures and notes make no sense. It is much better to read the book and study from the book. I thought animal behavior would be very interesting, she made the subject boring. Treats it like a core class and gives a lot of pointless assignments.
She is a hard professor, but she is a good professor! You either like her, or you don't. Personally, I did. I worked really well with her, and she was always willing to help me out in office hours and after class. People who complain about having to read the book to pass are idiots...this is college!! You are going to have to do work!
She is a good professor. Classes can be a little boring sometimes. Her tests are hard, but if you study you'll do fine. She is willing to help her students during office hours and explain anything you do not understand.
She's a hard professor, but a good professor. Yes you have to read the book, and study for tests. If this is a deal breaker, you should probably drop out of college. She has power points, which were helpful for me. She is passionate about her field, and likes to talk about her research. People say you like her or you don't...I did!
Upon entering the course, I realized it lack the aspect of psychology that made it unique. Her powerpoints are useless and she refuses to put them online(even though she doesnt get through all her notes before tests)she rarely agrees with the textbook but insists that we use them. Her tests are unfair and are often on things that weren't discussed
i feel like this course is about how to raise your child. she babbles about her children and family. tests are impossible to pass. you can study for weeks in advance and still get a D. you must thoroughly read textbook because her lectures and powerpoints are useless and never appear on tests.
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS. She treats her students like they're incompetent. No matter what she teaches you in class it will not be on the tests. She tests you on every inch of the textbook and the answers on the test that agree in the textbook doesn't match the answer on the test.
Overall, I thought the class was good. She's a hard professor, but that's nothing new for the psych department. Her tests are hard, and you are required to read the text, since a lot of it focuses on that. Lectures may be boring, but if you pay attention you will learn a lot. Many people don't like her, I however thought she was a great prof.
Donna Thompson was a very unclear teacher, rambled, unclear power points, always behind, hard tests, had things on tests not covered in class, must pretty much teach yourself from the text book.
very unclear and rambles on and on...pretty much teach yourself...stuff she gives is never on tests. beware
She has hard classes, but if you pay attention you will find that she goes over a lot of stuff. She verbally says a lot of information, instead of putting it on her powerpoint, so you have to write down those extra notes. It's a challenging course, but she's willing to help you out with questions and anything else you need.
This class if very difficult. You can read the textbook beginning to end 6 times and still only get a 70 on her tests. I do like the way she teaches because I learn the material but her tests are ridiculously difficult.
Test material is ridiculous. She hands out a sheet of about 24 possible essay questions for the test, 3 of which will actually appear on the test and each question has about 8 components to it. The questions are ridiculously detailed and if you don't read the text 4 times, reread your notes 10 times and look up information online, you wont do well.
Test material does not come from the lectures. Some of it does not even seem to come from the textbook. She also does not know what she is saying half the time and asks us because she gets confused. Very nice lady. Extremely tough tests. I am a straight A student and struggle to get an 85 on her tests. Do not take her if you would like an A.
Her tests are impossible. She tests on about 200 pages of the textbook (6 chapters) and doesn't cover even a quarter of it in class. Half of what is on the test isn't from the lecture or the book. I'm a psychology major and thought she would be the best to take, but if I could do it again, I'd take Kochmanski for developmental.
She is awful. Avoid her at all costs if possible. I'm an A student and received a C+ in this class after working my butt off. The tests are ridiculous, you could read the text book cover to cover 100 times and still barely pass a test. She rambles on about her kids more than she teaches. I will never take her again.
Nice lady, but avoid at all costs. Lectures are very long and dry. The amount of reading she assigns is ridiculous for a 100 level class. Tests are extremely difficult...I have a 3.9 GPA through 3 years and struggled to get in the low 80's on her exams. Probably the worst experience I've had in a class at NU.
Eh, she's ok, but if you want more than a B, then this class better become your life because the tests are nearly impossible considering half of it is from thin air.
The tests really aren't bad if you took the time to go to class and study for them. She wants you to do well and will put study tips on blackboard. Along with giving you the opportunity to gain 15 extra credit points by posting on black board and participating in studies. Probably my favorite class I took at NU so far.
I get it, the scratch-off test method is intimidating, but I ended up loving it. If you listen to her in class and write down, maybe not long, but detailed notes, you should be able to pull through. For me, I didn't use the book that much, but most people read it quite often, so I'd say, get it. Other than that, don't be afraid of her tests.
I really liked her class and decided to minor in psychology because of her! She gives lottery-style tests which allow you to still get credit on multiple choice if you get the answer wrong the first time. Definitely would recommend this prof to anyone who's willing to put in a little effort!
I was told horrible things about Prof. Thompson, but come to find out she's not all that bad. Yes, you need to read the book and your notes to get a good grade on her lottery style tests (which I quite enjoy). Her lectures are long, but if you really listen, they are actually pretty interesting. There is a portfolio project & 4 tests.
She does not care about students. Her class is heavily based on boring readings. I did not want to show up to a single one her dry, boring classes but was forced to because of her strict attendance policies. So mean.
Her tests are tough because they cover a lot of material, both from the textbook and from her lectures. But there's almost always a psych study you can do for extra credit, which is cool. Also, she's brilliant - I wouldn't want anyone else teaching me developmental psych.
Very very hard professor. Tough grader, expects high quality work. Participate in class and sit in the front row! Overall, she is very funny, nice, and helpful.
Class involved a lot of text book reading and she covers a lot of material on her tests but she is very helpful and nice. I would deffinetly retake her class
Tests are hard. She is nice and caring if you respect her. You will never get out of class early. Sometimes stays late. Make sure you read and ask questions. She's not a bad professor, will just be one of your more difficult classes
Dr. Thompson is very approachable and takes teaching very seriously. You can not get away with skipping class because a lot of what she covers in class is in her tests.
Her classes are very boring and her exams contain a lot of material we never discussed in class. Wish I hadn't taken the class. She makes it impossible to get higher than 70's.
You get 4 tests thats all!
Horrible teacher , if you have her drop her , she is a horrible teacher , and her exams are hard even if you do study , shes horrible at teaching in class and gives the worst examples , theres no review sheets and its all independent ! Definitely the worst teacher Ive ever had in all my years of schooling
I would never take Dr. Thompson again. Class was not engaging, we were graded for the most part on four tests, she was not helpful when asked for clarification, got annoyed easily by students asking questions, and did not help her students adjust to online during the pandemic. If you can take a different professor, do it. Dr. Thompson is no it.
Would never take Dr. Thompson again, her class wasn't engaging and most things from her lectures didn't appear on tests. After the online switch due to COVID she gave no lectures and instead gave us a reading list. She only gives you 4 tests and a project with no timely feedback as my class still waiting on a project grade from April 20th.
Great woman overall, but her class is extremely difficult. I am an A student and I am struggling to retain a C in this class. Due to COVID, online classes make this class ten times worse. Be prepared to be graded only by four tests, with the notes you take in class being totally different than the ones online. Her tests are hard and unforgiving.
Just doesnt have 0 clue what she is doing
She is a awful teacher. Drop her class if you have her! She bragged about how everyone does not do well in her class and the average test score is a 50. She only gives 4 tests and a project. She will not help especially with her class being online now! She sets students up to fail!
WORST prof I have ever had. If you have her, drop this class!! She is so mean, doesn't help you with anything and her zoom lectures have absolutely nothing to do with her tests. You have to read about 150+ pages for the tests and read and annotate every slide that she posts by yourself and pray that you do enough to PASS. HORRIBLE!!!!!!!
One of the worst classes ever. She makes you read the entire textbook and is so vague when it comes to telling us what is going to be on the exam. She is a good and nice person but just does not know how to teach.
One perk were the extra credit opportunities, but despite that if it weren't for it I would not have passed this course. No matter how hard you were to study, you still would not do well on a single test. Would not recommend.
Worst professor ever
Wish I dropped this class when I had the chance. She is the worst professor i've ever had, gets easily annoyed with students for asking questions. Has 4 tests THATS IT! Expects you to read the entire textbook, her slides have little information and are very unhelpful when it comes to studying. DROP HER CLASS, take it with another professor!!!
If you dont have to, DO NOT TAKE PROF. THOMPSON. Youre grade is basically based off of 4 tests that have nothing to do with what she talks about in class. There are a lot of textbook assignments that dont help your grade. Im an A student and was struggling to pass for most of the semester. Dont take if youre a slow/bad test taker
she is the WORST. none of her power points are organized/make sense. Socratic is your best friend in this course. some of the assignments take up to 2 hours to do but honestly last more. GET A TUTOR IF YOU TAKE HER! if she actually organized her stuff/taught I wouldn't have needed a tutor. she will stress you out to the point of tears.
If you're able to, please take the class with a different professor. It is nearly impossible to do well on her exams, even if you complete all reading and note taking on the material in the textbook as well as attending every lecture (which do not correlate with the exam material.)
She is by far the worst professor I have had here at Niagara. Most people I know dropped her class immediately and I wish I had too. For your own mental health do not take her class.
Worst professor Ive ever had. Tests unbelievably hard and the questions dont make sense. Her lectures are out of order and confusing and I do not learn easily from her at all. Extremely hard grader and insensitive. Picky about every little thing on projects. DO NOT TAKE HER CLASS!
Graded on only 5 tests that are extremely difficult and not what you learned at all. The tests are open note, but nothing on the tests are in the notes. Do not recommend.
Yelled at student for no reason
Absolutely the WORST professor in the psych department. Senior seminar taught me nothing. Professor yells students, swears, is rude and doesnt care for student's concerns about assignments. Disorganized professor. Contradicts herself. Grades unfairly, does not give adequate feedback. Avoid this professor unless you want a C as your final grade.
Worst Professor of my college education. She gives minimal instruction & if you ask a question she only confused you more. She is extremely disrespectful & not compassionate to life events that you may be experiencing outside of class. Her grading takes forever; my class is still waiting for our grade 2 days after semester ended. TERRIBLE.
Literally the worst teacher on campus. Her examples dont make sense. The notes dont match up with what she wants us to read from the text book. the text book she wants us to read dont even line up with the test. Youll answer a question in class, shell tell you you wrong and then proceed to say you answer but in different words. NEEDS TO BE FIRED!!
Donna Thompson is the worst professor I’ve ever had. She has no idea what she’s doing and honestly she should be fired. Tenure is not an excuse to be a horrible teacher. She has no respect for her students and doesn’t care to change anything with half of the class getting failing grades
Worst professor EVER. Gets nasty with the students when they ask questions, has little to no idea what she is talking about. Her slides are SO bad I want to give her a 0, but that’s not possible, so i give her a 1. Attend every lecture and read every chapter of book, even though it wont help bc her exams are SO out of pocket. ANYONE BUT HER.
She tends to ramble and isn't necessarily clear in what she's saying. You have to depend on the text book a lot and the tests are difficult
Often provides incorrect information in class as well as the tests have nothing to do with the notes she provides
NEVER TAKE A CLASS WITH DONNA THOMPSON! i cannot put ti simpler. She will ruin your GPA and she is a professor that should not have a license. She is an entitled, rude, and sour woman. She uses her tenure as security so that she can teach horribly with no consequences.
SUPER confusing lectures!! Often lectures feel like they have nothing to do with the class and you end up teaching yourself the material. She's caring in general, just a bad teacher IMO. Powerpoints and examples of materials that are gone over in class is confusing. She assigns a lot textbook reading and makes lectures boring.
Be ready to read the textbook entirely. Her notes in class have no correlation to what is on the exam. Pay attention to the studies she posts in canvas and never says anything about. Those are on the exam in some questions too. Overall, this wasn't a hard course but you very much need to do things on your own.
You are graded off of 5 tests, little extra credit opportunities, and what you are told to read is either not taught in class or when taught you are told the opposite of the book. Tests have very little to do with either the reading or the lecture. She herself in not bad the course though is
If i could wholeheartedly give Donna Thompson a 0 out of 5, i would. giving this woman a 1 is generous. Her class ruined my GPA completely. lectures are confusing, exams have nothing to do with the study guides or anything she mentions in class. The only grades entered are exam grades. At end of the semester there were 5 kids left in class wtf
Worst professor of all time. I am genuinely confused how she still has a job. Bad look for the psychology department at Niagara University. She should be reported and fired in my opinion. I would give below a 1 rating if it would let me
I believe Donna Thompson needs to retire. She is not all there/scattered. It often seemed she was seeing the slides for the first time as she was teaching them. She has a bad understanding of animal behavior and would often guess when making examples for the class. This is a bad look for the psych dept if this is what their upper levels look like
Animal Behavior is by far the worst class I've taken during my college career, the test question are hard to answer given they have no info. She doesn't know what is on her own slides. I wouldn't recommend anyone to take this class.
Donna's class is a real challenge. Lectures are confusing, and tests barely cover the material. But Unstuck study helped me prep efficiently and still do well.
Professor Thompson should be avoided if you can. Her lectures are terrible, she just reads off the slides, but also acts confused while reading them like she doesn't even know if what she is saying is true. Her tests are hard, which are also worth most of your grade. She seems like a nice person, but she is not equipped to be a professor anymore.
I kid you not, avoid this class at all costs. The grading for this class is horrible, the professor can't teach, and you will sit there in class wondering why you put yourself through so much trouble. Nothing changed I had her freshman year, hoping she would change her grading since she knows people do horrible in her class nothing changed.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
50%
Textbook Required
14%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
C+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.04 avg changeRatings by Course
PSY221
4.0
(1)PSY101F
4.0
(1)PSY101HON
4.0
(1)PSY310
3.2
(5)DEVELOPMENTAL
3.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
PSY221
5.0
PSYCH
5.0
PSYCH201
5.0
PSY201B
5.0
PSY491
5.0