2.3
Quality4.1
Difficulty25%
Would Retake197
Reviews25%
Would Retake
197
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
25
4
34
3
19
2
54
1
65
What Students Say
“Gives you harsh grades with no explanation why (and I mean really harsh - I spent hours on an essay, followed the exact format he gave, and he gave me a 50%)”
210 - 1.0 rating“I get sick of professors that make you compete against them in assignments”
PSYCH365 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
70%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.17 avg changeRatings by Course
LEARNING
5.0
(1)PSYCHHON
5.0
(1)PYSCHOLOGY111
5.0
(1)PSYCH
5.0
(1)PSYCH420R
5.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
111
5.0
210
5.0
307
5.0
111210
5.0
111361365
5.0
Reviews (197)
Really great teacher. Knew his stuff and taught it well. I learned a lot and enjoyed it, even though it was a lot of work.
His lectures are amazing... you'll learn a lot. His midterm and final are a little tricky but he makes up for it with the other assignments
Lectures were more tenet than topic, and had little to do with any graded material, tests or otherwise. Definitely knowledgable on subject, but getting to that knowlege is another story. He is open to questions though, and is interesting.
He's a tough teacher. From Harvard- doesn't use lay man's terms ever. Tests do not cover any of the material covered in class. Requires tons of reading that's not on the test either. A waste of time. No incentive to go to the class. It doesn't help your g
extremely hard tests, a lot of work. projects seemed somewhat arbitrary and the lectures were a waste of time because he went off the subject quite a lot. you'll learn, but not about the course material. i definitely do not recommend this class
sucky, so sucky. went into class looking forward to learning psych... left with the worst taste in my mouth ever.
I love this man, makes the class worth going too. It takes effort on the students part to work but he is very willing to help and expalin any aspect.
Most people slept in class. If you can read the book and learn on your own you'll be fine. If you are going to lecture to learn you'll be disappointed.
He is so boring!!! The tests are hard and you don't use any information from class or from the book to take his tests. He goes off on random subjects in class.
He is freakin dope a way funny man I don't see how you could fall asleep in his class. Very intriguing information personally I loved the lectures his test and quiz's were hard but its worth it! Keep it real HAL!
Some people like him, some don't. I thought he made class interesting. Sometimes he was over a lot of people's heads, though. He's probably too "academic" for some. If you care about learning, he's great. If you just want an A, he's not for you.
This man single-handedly deterred me from my desire to be a psychology major. Lectures mean nothing. Tests are hard, you neved know what he'll ask because its never something he has actually covered.
A Harvard know it all. I loathed the class and I haven't met anyone that liked it. Avoid taking his classes at all costs. Unless you're psychic, no one knows what he's talking about and he tests on stuff that has never been covered.
Want an A, good luck. Want to learn, you got it. Likes to challenge students beliefs. Encourages thinking from different points of view. Tests are really hard. For the open minded or those who want to be open.
Best professor I ever had. If you're a narrow-minded grade grubber, you'll be disappointed. But if you want to be challenged, take anything you can from Hal. Definitely the most intelligent, open-hearted professor I ever had.
Some people didn't like this class, but I'm not in this major so I thought it was really interesting. He was very entertaining. He is really nice when you talk to him one on one. Not the easiest class, but very thought-provoking.
Dr. Miller is the man. Funny guy and extremely fair tests and quizzes. Tons of reading, but if you study, you'll be fine
Okay, but a bit disappointing
He does not lecture or teach enough. Being a psycholoist himself, he tends to play mind games with the students. Avoid him!!!
His class was very interesting. I especially enjoyed his lectures. Tests were difficult.
I loved his class. I was worried when I was taking a class 2 1/2 hrs long but he made class very fun and it was really interesting. The tests are hard but they are managable unless you get behind in studying
the teachernever teaches. He puts stuff on the midterm and final that I swear is from other books. Take the class from ANYONE else.
He doesn't really teach all that often. He is very knowledgable but he lectures very rarely. When he does, it's interesting, and some of the material is very fascinating, but he tests you on it before he teaches it. You have to read approximately 200 pages for every quiz every other week.
Very funny teacher. I liked him a lot. Some might not like him because he doesn't have time to go over everything in the book, but I think that he does a good job. If you don't have a problem with reading from the book out of class this class should be easy.
Dr. Miller is....spunky. You don't really know what to do with him at first, but you acquire a taste for his humor and ridiculous vocabulary. The class isn't too hard, mostly reading (a LOT of reading) but the text is interesting so it's not too bad.
the WORST teacher I've ever had. The material is not all that great but he makes it unbearable.
I loved psychology before I took this class. Professor Miller is probably the worst teacher I have ever had. He was entertaining but that was about it. I would not recommend taking psych 111 from him.
Dr. Miller is a great man. He is very involved in community projects, and is a leader in behaviorism.
Hardley ever Lectured, wasted most class time fiddling with the PRS system. Do not recommend taking... If you do, make sure you read thouroughly because thats the only place you'll learn.
Dr. Miller rarely lectured and when he did the material was random and irrelevant to the subject. If you want to learn, you have to read the material because that's the only teaching source. The class was already pretty boring, the professor made it worse.
This man gets a lot of grief, but if you know in advance that his lectures are intended to ENRICH your understanding of the book, not be a substitute, you will find it isn't too difficult to succeed, and the effort is worth it. This is college, after all. No need to fear it.
I really didn't like this professor. He relied almost entirely on the book and his lectures weren't useful for the tests. Most of class time was wasted on lame activities or fiddling with the quiz system. All this and a class that was hard made for a very bad experience.
Dr. Miller is a very interesting teacher. He uses a lot of big terms in his lectures and can be hard to understand, but he is very smart and very entertaining and insightful at times. The book is excellent and very helpful, with many good examples and is also entertaining to read. Lots of group work
HOLY CRAP this guy is nuts. Very unclear and doesn't give a crap about his students. He doesn't even look at your work, has some grad student grade it and then if there is an issue with your grade you have to deal with whoever graded it. He's in his office 1/2 the time he says he is.
Professor Miller is without a doubt one of the most engaging and intelligent teachers I've had the privelege to learn from. Negative comments on this forum are likely from people who are unwilling to work in his classes. If you can't take his vocabulary, get a dictionary or find a different school.
Boring--the worst lecturer I've ever had. He drones on very monotone, then YELLS FOR EMPHASIS, which is only effective in waking people up. Take a potentially fascinating subject and makes it boring. Literally HALF the class time was speng on QUIZZES. Other teacher is harder, but more interesting.
This is by far one of the worst classes offered at BYU. Dr. Miller is an absolutely horrible teacher who could care less if his students learned or performed well in class. Although he knows what he's talking about, he doesn't care about his students and how they do in his class.
This is the worst teacher/person/class I have ever experienced in my life. His lectures are pointless, so just read. Also, he allows you to weight the grading in the class. Avoid peer evaluation, you'll get screwed over in the end. Actually, just avoid the class.
This is pretty much the crappiest class that I have ever taken. But, if you find reading an entire textbook exciting and intellectually stimulating (with no in class explanation or expounding) you are just the nerd for this course. If you feel like you are failing, you probably are unless you conspire with your team mates for a good peer eval.
I was so excited to take this class but it turned out to be the worst class that I've ever taken at BYU!! This teacher didn't care at all about students and had a very unfair grading system.
This teacher is amazing. He is engaging and unlike other people say will help his students. While the grading system is a little off if you do good in the class you'll be ok. To the other posts, your in college now, grow up a little.
Spent first two weeks of class watching a movie, I think I came out of one class where I actually felt like I learned something. Came out of the class with an A, but I didn't feel like it was worth my time. You have to go to class because of group projects and quizzes, but not much is actually learned. Book is interesting, professor is aggravating.
Dr. Miller is a much better teacher in smaller classes than in large lecture classes. He knows a lot about psychology, and in a small class will take the time to be certain that all students understand the material.
well, this guy stinks. I love the class, but hate the teacher. He honestly doesn't give a crap about the students, and his lectures and test reviews do no good what so ever. You are better off studying the entire textbook for the rest of your life. He is dimeaning and lets you know that he is smarter than you. Overall just a jerk.
This guy is so condescending. He uses his classes as psych experiments or something like that. He expects you to know the whole book and doesn't help when you ask questions. Avoid him at all costs!
Dr. Miller is definitely better in smaller classes. I would recommend making sure you know how to write psychology papers before entering his class. He is a very difficult grader on papers but much more fair on tests. He is a fabulous teacher for upperclassmen. I would not recommend this teacher for someone "testing" out a psychology class.
Dr. Miller is the worst Psychology professor that I've had at BYU. He and his T.A. never communicated. Grades are based on subjective journals and writing assingments that he picks over with a fine-toothed comb. A complete waste of time and very frustrating!
Dr. miller is a nice guy, but don't explain anything, and you pretty much have to guesse what he is going to put on the tests. he dosen't explain things till after you take the test and then really its not even helpful. he doeshave a massive killer vocabulary though!
His tests are easy if you study at all, but his midterm is very outdated. He basically told you about half the stuff on it minutes before administering the exam itself. He grades papers pretty hard. If you laugh at intense, random increases of voice volume, then this class is hilarious.
Whoever said his tests are easy is terribly wrong. Class revolves personal reading and studying, it was horrible. Tons of quizzes and unhelpful lectures. Only good thing was that our team grade counted as 60-70% of our overall grade. But don't let that fool you, if Icould redo last semester, I would've gotten my S.S. GE with Anthropology hands down
The test material was straight from the text book. If you read you will do well.
fun class, I learned alot
he is boring beyond compare. pretty much you sit there and try and listen but you don't hear anything. charly brown's teacher basically! plus he doesn't teach before the quizes. he teaches after!
miller sucks! take hedges if you have a chance. if you want a chance at a good grade. i heard he is way interesting unlike this boring teacher! unless you like people who speak very proper and you are super smart. everybody is smart at byu...i'm average smart.
lectures very unhelpful...tons of reading outside class...tricky tests...lots of emphasis on group work which was a plus (for grading at least)...not very helpful if you need to get a grade changed...
Tests straight from the book is not an understatement. The only learning you get out of the class is from reading, it's a waste of time unless you enjoy hours of reading and re-reading. Wish I had taken it through Hedges...
Knows a lot of detail about everything, but this can sometimes become boring. Very smart. Gets very animated when reading stories.
Good lecturer, i enjoyed the class. he is a fair teacher, with his own curve. don't just do the readings, understand them and study them, then you will do fine.
Miller teaches his classes differently than other professors. He only lectures to review tests and answer ?'s. You work in teams the whole class, studying together etc. Lot of reading-not hard. Tests are straight from the text. Work through lots of TA's. Animated LEctures when Miller does them. Not easy class, but not too hard if you do the HW.
Miller comes in 14 minutes late every day, tells the class what group activity to do, and leaves until the very end of class. What's up with that? Because of this, you have to depend on the reading to know what's on the test. When he does lecture, it's after the quiz, so it's not entirely helpful. Not the coolest teacher ever.
Miller is ridiculous... DO NOT take him... ever. He doesn't even teach-you have to read 50-100 pages for each quiz and practically have it memorized. Pretty much this class is awful. Get another teacher if you really want to take it.
No Comments
One of the best profs I've ever had. He treats students like adults and expects them to be prepared. He has an open door for anyone who needs help. He is fair and he is kind.
This is an excellent teacher. He expects a lot from students, but he's fair and always willing to answer questions. People who want an easy class should go somewhere else, but people who want an education should come here.
SOOO much reading required for this class, and the tests are ridiculous. Luckily there is a nice curve and even though I failed most of the individual tests our group tests brought my grade up significantly. His lectures are also pointless.
He's awful! Do NOT take his class! He talks on and on in circles and NEVER ask him a question because he won't ever answer it up front. When he talks, he takes pauses to find the biggest word possible to use. He's extremely boring! Do NOT take!
oh my gosh...worst class ever. do not take it from him...boring...tries to find the biggest word he can...nightmare...it's like you're in a giant experiment...he even said so!
Man oh man, he's a tough cookie! His lectures are pretty good, but he's a full of himself and is a terrible grader. He rewrites your papers according to his personal style and doesn't like you to have your own opinion.
He's a better teacher for students who have really learned to study and made a commitment to gaining a real education. If you're a whiner, you'll hate him. He's not afraid to treat students like they're smart.
His grading system is weird, the book is very difficult, the class is challenging, but do-able. He does a lot to try and make things fair; hes on your side, trying to do what he can to bring your grade up. It's really important to stay up on the reading because there are quizes every week. Each week expect about 75 page reading assignment.
BORING!
okay. if you aren't a genius...he will ruin the subject for you. i think that psych would have been cool if it weren't for him. he's boring, uses really big words, and doesn't teach until you've already taken the quiz. if you want to learn from a book, be bored in class, and hate psych...take from miller. what i'm saying is...DON'T TAKE FROM MILLE
Dr. Miller is the worst teacher in the psych department. He doesn't teach. You read 3-4 chapters and then you take a test. He answers about 3 questions at the beginning of the class on the reading (meanwhile completely confusing everyone who thought they knew what the book was talking about) and then you take the test. Stay away from this class!
Miller doesn't teach you anything. He tests you on your readings, giving a nominal overview of what you were supposed to read (this is after the fact, not before). He speaks in an affected erudite tone, where you get the sense that rather than be understood, he'd rather sound smart. It's distracting and confusing. He's an awful teacher.
Dr. Miller is a nice goy but he just doesn't teach. I think he gave a lecture maybe once-if that. Your tests are all based on the readings. He organizes you into teams and you take half your tests as team tests which is what saves your grade completely. I would definitely recommend trying to take a different teacher.
Definitely not as bad as everyone makes him seem. Sure if you suck at actually reading the book you paid for or somehow made it to college without any comprehension skills, you'll be very lost. If you do the reading the quizzes are so easy! A lot of your grade is group tests anyway. During class he answers any questions, all you have to do is ask!
Don't take psych from him. I have gone into a lecture understanding something and come out not understanding it
Ridiculous amounts of reading. Doesn't lecture what you need to know. Just reads poetry about Freud.
This was tutoring at a local Provo middle school. Just had to do 3 hours of tutoring for every one credit you signed up for and send in a one-page summary each week. Way easy, plus had 3 pizza parties throughout.
I took this class a year ago and was so bored by it that I stopped going half way through the semester. Im currently in the class again... I remember why I stopped going last time. I regret having to pay tuition to have an old man quiz me on my reading and show me useless videos during class! Dont waste your time and more importantly your money on
He is confusing and boring and his class feels pointless a lot of the time.
This is the worst class and teacher I've had here. If you want a good grade then don't take psych from Miller. He's more focused on using big words that teaching... oh wait! HE DOESN'T TEACH! If you enjoy watching pointless videos and reading everything in the book and then get tested before it gets explained, then this is the class for you.
I'd rather die than take another class with Miller. He's a Harvard grad who is more interested in his vocab than your learning.
I did not enjoy this class as much as I hoped I was going to. It seemed like all we did was read, test in class, and read some more. He did not explain things very well, and when he did, he sounded exactly like the book, so it did not clarify anything. The material was very interesting, but the structure of the class was not very good.
Miller is too smart for his own good. IF he actually lectures he just uses the biggest words he can so only he understands and the class is left confused. Tons of reading is required. I thought about going into psychology as my major.. not anymore....
Worst college course I have ever had.
basically, you read the whole text book and teach yourself.
This is the worst class I've taken at BYU and this was my last semester. The class consists of reading 3 or 4 chapters in the book, taking a test; reading 50-70 pages of supplementary reading and taking a test on that; and then writing a paper as an "application activity." Dr. Miller doesn't teach at all, so you are basically on your own.
can be difficult if you dont put forth effort. expects reading to be done before class. clear cut on test questions.
Although I aced all the individual portions tested and made a 92 and 95 respectively on the midterm and final, I received a B+ in the class. It all came down to my artful group, who even though I did 75% of the work, connived to increase their Peer Evaluation scores by decreasing mine. Don't let your group screw you. Dr. Miller won't help you eithe
I for one enjoyed his class. He is a little bizzare at first but he is a nice guy and I found him very interesting to listen to. I didn't study too hard in the beginning but ended up doing about 2 hrs daily towards the end. I didn't think studying was worth it, till the end when I finally showed all the little details I knew. I got an A-
The class isn't as horrible as some say, but I wish I'd taken it from someone else. If you take it, study with Blackboard study guides; they're the best thing to help you know what's on the tests. Miller doesn't lecture about the material. There's some cool movies in class, but it's dumb that other students can bring down your grade at the end.
Many see class as extremely hard and pointless, but it is not! He is very amusing and really nice. His tests/assessments are a breeze if you've read and studied the book. He doesn't give lectures that thoroughly explain the material, but if you can comprehend by reading then take this class.
Very busy course. It's not busy work, but there's something due each class. He is a tough grader, but also a great instructor. I didn't come into this class with much interest but he made it interesting. The assignments aren't easy, but they're not all that hard either.
Miller is a great teacher and very kind, interesting and even funny. The class requires a LOT of reading, but you can get by with skimming. Ask questions and do the reading and you'll be fine.
Difficult class with a lot of material. He expects students to do the reading before class. He is very willing to make time if you want to meet with him though he teaches 10+ sections a semester. A highly intelligent and hard-working man himself, he expects interest and work. Think out of the box for the most benefit. Absorb what he teaches.
I actually liked this class, but in all fairness I had a great group and it was an evening class once a week. Lectures were a little hard to follow, mostly because I skipped the reading most days. I still ended up with a B+ which was fine by me! Tests were way easy if you studied, like most college classes.
Do not take this wonderful class from this horrible teacher (if you can call him that) He doesn't teach, he moderates a discussion made and discussed by the students. You'll be using one of the hardest text available for the course and he doesnt even help, get a better instructor BYU, geez. Again, dont take this class, at least not from dr miller
Dr. Miller is EXTREMELY hard! He doesn't lecture, but discusses student-created questions. He expects alot out of his students, and makes sure you know it. He's a nice guy, but you have to read alot. If you aren't a great comprehensive reader, don't take this class. (I also think he does his own experiments on his class...)
I liked his vocab, made you feels smart. However, the group method really pulled my grade down. The supplemental readings were educational, but the time spent on those could have been better spent elsewhere, like discussing the readings from the text book. Great and funny guy on a personal level, but would recommend a different teacher for class.
funny as in wierd but hard! and a lot of reading and a lot of tests
The class was extremely hard!!! I really did not like going to class and I did AWFUL on the tests. The textbook was SO HARD to comprehend. It just was really boring for me.
horrible
This class was useless. I was in a group and most of us agreed that we did not learn anything. He does not lecture. You read from a text book and a group writes 5 questions about the reading, then in class you answer them. It has nothing to do with quizzes or tests. He is a funny man, but not a great teacher
Worst class I've ever taken. The guy doesn't lecture, he explains things in the worst way possible (ie, he refers to starfish as echinoderms, just to confuse the class), and you have to teach it to yourself before the ridiculusly hard tests. I regret signing up for this class.
Unfortunately, he doesn't exactly make the material interesting. I took a Psychology class in high school the year before taking this class, which probably helped my grade. The tests aren't horribly difficult (I'm a slacker and ended up with a "B" in the class). He doesn't lecture very well; you pretty much have to learn everything yourself.
This class was hard. I took it two semesters ago, and it seems like Prof. Miller has not changed. You really had to teach yourself the material, and I think I failed everything in the class, but I guess from the curve I ended up getting a B. It's just a VERY hard class and not fun.
He's a terrible teacher... in fact, he doesn't teach! He can be funny sometimes, but it doesn't help learning whatsoever. Class is pointless as all you discuss is questions the students come up with themselves. If at all possible, take this class from someone else.
Horrible teacher!!! Avoid at all cost!!! Don't even bother going to class! You do nothing that has to do with tests. He does cover anything that has to do with tests. only thing is the group assignments. Make sure that you go on activity day! You write a paper!!! But really AVIOD AT ALL COST!!!
Interesting professor. Nice guy. If you want to learn, take classes from him.
Dr. Miller is a nice man, but the organization of his class is very confusing. At the end of the semester the class decides the weight of each assignment. This sounds nice, but it can get a little crazy. Also, I was very interested in behaviorism before entering the class. However, I got very little practical knowledge from it.
Dont bother shooting me in the foot, do it in the face if I ever have to take this class again. If you join, you might be legally retarded or a certified super genius...its a 50-50, good luck.
One of the smartest professors on this planet. If you want to have your mind expanded take a class from him. I have been doing research for over a year with him and learn new things everyday.
HARD. This class is ONLY for obsessively-motivated individuals who have far-superior reading skills. Auditory and visual learners will not get anything out of this class at all. The lectures are not lectures, they are discussions of student-created questions and close to half of class sessions are actually mind-game-style assessments. I hated it.
His quizzes are very difficult.
Ok, so Dr. Milles's classes were the hardest that I have taken at BYU. But he is still a great guy and was always willing to help. No one ever went to see him in his office hours or to get help, so if you got a bad grade, that's your problem. The curve at the end is awesome 71%=A
you can learn a lot in this class if you're willing to work for it. however, prof. miller doesn't bother explaining essential points in class. if you ask a question about the loads of reading, he won't actually answer it--he'll elaborate on a tangent. if you're a person who doesn't get much out of lectures anyway this class is catered to you.
Dr. Miller is very interesting...but very hard class. During class students come up with questions about the textbook reading, but the questions are never really answered. There is so much reading involved in this class, so unless you have loads of time to read about psychology, take someone else. The tests are extrememly hard.
Dr. Miller went to Harvard so he thinks that he has the creds to talk you to death about nothing pertaining to the test material whatsoever. In class he will rave on about some said nonsense and then the tests are based soley on the book. Go for another 111 teacher, if at all possible. This class irked me.
Hard class, if possible take from another prof. I hardly learned anything in class. You learn from the reading, and there is a lot. The quizzes on the reading were really hard. Dr Miller was an okay guy, but not what I expected. Try and take from someone else.
He used us as test subjects for his graduate students' research. He gave us tests on the computer that only showed one possible answer chioce at a time. You are required to buy the book new every year.
THis class was absurd. I was kinda shocked. Dr Miller doesn't teach psychology in class. He feels that that is what the book is for. It is his book and its incomprehensible. His tests are ridiculous. I think im still bitter 3 semesters later. This class is the reason im not a psych major.
Hal Miller is an excellent teacher who requires that his students extract more than a superficial level of meaning from the subject. He challenges his students, but that's the only way to make them grow.
In one word this class was ridiculous. He does not teach anything and his tests are extremely difficult even after reading. Completely frustrating. And when he does decide to talk it is completely irrelevant to the tests. We waste time in class by going over questions that we ourselves come up with and in the end, don't even have them answered.
Psych majors currently don't have a choice-Hal's the only Psych 101 teacher, and its impossible to get out of. But if you ever do have a choice, DON'T TAKE HIM. The class is ridiculous and completely pointless. Used us as research experiments and didn't teach. Run. Now.
He is a funny guy, but the class s TERRIBLE! I highly recommend a different teacher. You don't learn in class anything that is on the test, which makes them hard tests. His teaching methods are really bad, and they don't help you learn.
Don't believe most of the comments you see here. Hal Miller is one of the most gifted, inspirational, and mind-expanding professors in the entire country. If you are looking for easy like most of the raters here, he is not for you. But if you want to work and have your world view changed, sign up and don't miss out on the experience of a lifetime.
This class was SO HARD. My group was always really confused by the grading because the TA would write things like "Good work!" on our papers and then give us 50-70% for a grade. I could never produce anything to satisfy him--no matter how hard I tried. But other than that, the tests are easy if you've done the reading. Lecture is often interesting.
This class is ridiculous. It's only a 1 credit class, and the work load isn't "hard", but its very unclear and confusing as to what is expected. Ridiculous expectations, without clear explanations. I dreaded this class and felt like it was a waste of my time. Unfortunately this is required for psych majors, otherwise, don't take it.
Perhaps Dr. Miller is a mind expanding professor in 111 but he sure isn't in 101. Tests ask irrelevant questions, texts used for something than their intended purpose... wait to take this class if you're a psych major. Maybe BYU will stop making it required or they'll fix the course.
Though the textbook material is interesting and helpful for those wishing to pursue psychology, Prof. Miller's tests often ask completely irrelevant questions. He also gives rather unclear directions for the group projects. Be ready to work hard if you want an A. This isn't your typical one credit class.
He is a terrible professor, at least for 101. This was the most pointless class i've ever taken at BYU. I learned nothing about the actual psych major. He never teaches. The tests ask totally random questions from the readings, which again are pointless. The projects are also pointless. Basically, DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS FROM MILLER.
Terrible. Be prepared to put a lot of time into this class.
one of the worst teachers i have ever had at BYU. He is on his high horse the whole time and makes things far MORE complicated then necessary!! He also uses big words to flex his knowledge...
This class is not easy. Miller does not lecture and class is spent going over questions randomly selected from groups. The only way to succeed in this class is to learn the material in the textbook on your own. This class requires you to be an independent studier. I would not suggest it for students who would like to be spoon fed info.
BY FAR THE WORST PROFESSOR I'VE EVER HAD AT BYU!!! NO JOKE. The class was incredibly disorganized and unclear. I went out of my way to seek clarification and received a, "Why are you wasting my time?" attitude. Just because you have a Harvard PHD doesn't mean you can teach. AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE!!!
This guy sucks!!! The worst teacher I have had in my college experience. You must read hundreds of pages out of the textbook and he wont explain anything. No notes, study guides or anything. Avoid the guy at all costs!!!
I don't consider myself to judge people or classes harshly, I've had my share of bad classes and I take them with stride. However this class is the most unorganized class I have ever been in. It's not only utter chaos, but the class discussions and readings are utterly ridiculous. Don't take this class unless you have to, and even then be prepared.
To those who are planning on taking Psych 111, make sure it's NOT from Miller.Thank goodness I took it from another professor or I wouldn't be a psych major.He doesn't know how to teach.His assignments are incomprehensible.Unfortunately, he's the only Psych 101 professor.To those who don't have a choice, hold on.It gets so much better after this.
Basic Schedule: Read textbook chapter, submit philosophical questions, and spend the class discussing questions. Lectures are virtually pointless. He's a fan of group work, so if your not, avoid his class. If you like reading textbooks, he's for you. If it were me, I wouldn't take him again. I liked psychology before, but now, I won't pursue it.
If you are the kind of student that hates teachers, thinks they are useless, and wants them to just leave you alone, this is the class for you. But, if you are the kind of student that wants the teacher to actually teach and deliver intelligent lectures do NOT take this class.
Oh my. This is the most useless class. Unfortunately you can't take it from anyone else and it's required if you're a psych major. If you need to take it, don't change your major because of this class; the other professors in the department aren't this terrible. I have learned nothing from him that I haven't read in a book. Waste of time.
Read all the reviews prior to adding the class, saw how bad it was rated and thought that I could do it anyway. Um. No. He is terrible. We used a 300 level book for an introductory class, his TAs are useless, the tests are extremely difficult and going to class is completely pointless. If you want to learn, don't take this class.
Horrible teacher. The tests are ridiculousy hard, he never helps you, the TA's don't help either, you read insane amounts out of the book and then never discuss it. Do not take this class from him! You will regret it if you do.
The worst professor I've ever had. I even forget his name all the time. He just lets his TA's tell us to discuss the chapters we were supposed to read but no one actually read because the textbook is so difficult. I never wanted to go to class and the tests are insane. If you don't have to take this class, don't, don't, DON'T!
This man is the worst professor at BYU. I have never taken a more useless class. His tests are impossible to study for, as they are based on useless facts or quotations from the textbook, rather than meaningful information. Hopefully another teacher will be given this introductory course so as not to turn prospective students away from the major.
Intelligent guy, HORRIBLE teacher. He does not teach at all. He basically expects you to memorize 20-40 pages of text a day. His tests are impossible. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS
PLEASE READ BEFORE ADDING THIS CLASS: I swore i would never waste my time by leaving a review on this website, but that's before i knew there were professors as bad as Hal Miller. Why is this man allowed to teach still? I beg you to save yourself and not take him. I'd rather have bamboo shoots grow in my fingernails than take his class again.
This was the worst class ever!!! He is so unorganized! Also is stupid tests are just for his dumb research. Its crap! This was way beyond a one credit class!
Without a doubt Hal Miller is the worst professor I've had at BYU. He constantly attempted to flaunt his intellect and came to class less than his students did. His tests and assignments did nothing to help further my knowledge of the psych major. Psych 101 with Miller was the most useless class I have ever taken. Waste of time.
This class is not as bad as everyone says. Dr. Miller is a fine teacher, he just expects intelligent students rather than kids who just show up. Use the Mypsychlab help online and you will be fine. His tests are pretty simple if you memorize the terms used in each chapter. Plus the curve really helps your grade in the end.
Dr. Miller seems like an intelligent guy and even teaches graduate pedagogy classes but this class was ridiculous. I've heard it's for his personal research which would seem to be the only reason that this class is still required. Complete waste of time and way too much work for a one credit class.
Lectures are 100% useless, as nothing discussed pertains to the tests. Professor Miller wastes a lot of time saying nothing at all. Around 30-40 pages of the textbook are assigned to read before every lecture. Besides the ridiculous amount of reading, there is a curve that helps out a lot. I got an A in the class.
My major complaint is that Prof. Miller very rarely taught us anything. He left us to rely almost exclusively on our own team meetings and personal reading. He did provide opportunities for a good amount of extra credit, though, so that helped.
Miller never even shows up to class, and has TA's teach nothing about the subject matter, or another assistant who doesn't even know english try to explain concepts that aren't germane to what we were studying. Tests asked questions about things that we hadn't been assigned to read. I dropped cause I was getting nothing out of the class.
Hal Miller is one of the finest professors at BYU. He is extremely intelligent and very demanding, but you will learn an incredible amount from him. Don't listen to all the whiners here who just want to get an A for doing nothing.
I've taken three classes from him (111, 210, 361). He is incredibly difficult but he's always willing to help. Depending on the class, the lectures may be useless, but text is always helpful. You learn so much that you apply to your daily life. So hard but so worth it.
There was A LOT of reading required for this class, and tests are usually completely based on the reading. Class sessions were usually pretty pointless. Professor Miller is a great professor who is happy to help students out and his curve is very helpful.
Ridiculous how much reading we had to do. He is the sole reason I now hate psychology. Some of his tests were taken outside of the testing center and it was extremely complicated to get to the point of even taking the test!
Okay people Prof. Miller is awesome. He is not only hilarious in his teaching style, but he is completely brilliant. The class may require a lot of reading, but really, it is wonderful.
This class was so unbelievably hard. My psychology class was way harder with this teacher than for my friends with different teachers. Not only was it hard, but I really didn't even learn anything from the teacher. Everything that I learned was from the massive amounts of reading I had to do every night. Not recommended.
I felt like the whole class was one big psych experience. In the end the class is graded on a curve, so I ended up with a good grade, but I learned everything from the book. And the format of the tests made me second guess myself so often and it was really frustrating. He's an entertaining lecturer most of the time though.
Hal is one of the best professors in the entire country. If he taught at Harvard rather than BYU (i.e., better students) most of the comments here would be very different. Take his classes--don't miss the chance of a lifetime just because he is hard.
I wasn't surprised when I came here and saw the polarizing comments. Hal is a very interesting guy; he made me think every session. I thought he was a great professor, but there were others in my same class who disagreed. I'm not going to use ad hominems toward fellow students, but I'm willing to wager a lot of students just didn't get his style.
Hated this class. I get sick of professors that make you compete against them in assignments. He tries to prove how uneducated and stupid the world is without intellectuals like himself
My only complaint is that he neglected our grades all semester so that we always thought we were failing. This literally killed motivation for many of us students. He is very pleasant and a entertaining lecturer, but followed inadequate assignment explanations with killer tough grading. Consequently, I would not recommend him.
One of the finest and most stimulating professors in the whole country. Don't believe what all the haters and whiners say. Yes, Dr. Miller is very demanding. But that is why you learn so much in his classes. He is a brilliant man who cares and opens minds. Don't miss out.
Dr. Miller is incredible. Take this class from him. You have to work a lot, but it is so worth it. I learned so much and really became a better writer. He is really rough on you as writer, but it is so helpful. Take this class from him.
Worst class I have ever taken and biggest waste of money. Completely not helpful at all. Even after going to him several times with questions, he either never responded or it was months later!
Hal Miller is busy often. I had him for my capstone and I couldn't imagine another person helping me through it! He is so understanding and he is very kind. I had him my freshman year in 101 and my senior year in 420R. I feel he is better in smaller classes. The syllabus is important. In the capstone class we only met once a month. Got an A.
One of the most intelligent people I have met. He will stretch you as a writer in ways you didn't think were possible. He has you read an awesome book on deception. Grades hard, but gives lots of extra credit. I'd take it from him.
Gives you harsh grades with no explanation why (and I mean really harsh - I spent hours on an essay, followed the exact format he gave, and he gave me a 50%). Would not recommend.
Dr. Miller is, flat out, incredible. He is understanding, exceptionally knowledgeable, and designs his classes to help students learn. He grades papers harshly, but it helped me learn how to write . Group projects are meaningful and graded reasonably. If you work hard, you will be rewarded with a good grade and a deep understanding of conditioning.
Great guy, terrible teacher. Like others have said, he grades harshly but gives no explanation why. Even after going into his office hours, he does not help and just says not to worry about your grade. He holds class MAYBE 50% of the semester, but only go over the reading, which isn't helpful. Choose a different teacher.
Dr. Miller is definitely an under-appreciated mind at BYU. He is one of the most intelligent professors I have ever had. He could easily become a prolific lecturer, but he chooses to follow a didactic style that allows the students to be responsible for their own learning. He is very purposeful in the way he sets up his class.
I worked with Dr. Miller for three years, and I think he's one of the most incredible teachers on campus. Here's the trick, you want the smallest class size you can possibly get with him. In person he's brilliant, and more importantly knows how to get you thinking, and coming up with answers on your own. In a large group he loses the personal touch
This man does not belong at BYU. His lectures are not spiritually strengthening (has mentioned God twice this semester) and is the king of "guess what the instructor is thinking." The texts are extremely heavy and time-consuming to read and understand. Lectures are not any better; he loves hearing himself talk. He thinks he's teaching at Harvard.
Contrary to the stated mission of BYU, Harold Miller tried to teach me how to hate, and with much more success than I liked. The really rotten thing is that I liked the topic a great deal, was getting As on the quizzes, and I loved the assigned textbook. Then I had Harold Miller trying to teach me to hate it all by punishing our papers with E's.
Warning: He's a radical behaviorist. Do not mention psyche, spirituality, the LDS Church, nor God in your papers. He does not believe that these things belong in the science of psychology, and he will give your papers D's and E's if you mention these things in your writing assignments. Stick with behaviorism and materialism for a B grade.
At the beginning of class, he said that we shouldn't look at our grades and change them into letter grades. Throughout the semester the class average was in between a 60 & 70. No clear grading criteria. Very strict but it did make me work really hard on my papers. Usually got one of the highest grades after the first assignment but received a B+.
It is difficult to determine the grading criteria in the class. For the most part you are left wondering the fate of your grade (talking to him does not help, he simply says not to worry...) Be prepared for a lot of group work. The reading required for this course is almost overwhelming. If you care about your grade, do not take this course!
Rubrics are vague, and he's the harshest graders I've experienced. Failed me on an assignment without opening the document because I forgot to rename it in Word. He's impossible to get in touch with. Docked me points for not using 2 spaces between sentences, and for using APA format according to the manual when his rubric never specified otherwise
Get ready to work in groups... a lot. Almost every assignment is completed in groups and groups are assigned at the beginning of the semester so good luck. The workload isn't too heavy but he grades very hard and subjectively. The course is more about how you think and can apply the material than how well you actually know the material.
Has different teaching styles that causes you to learn as you go. Group project grades initially seem strict. However, he always provides great feedback that causes you to become a better writer. Started w/ poor grades, but ultimately earned good grades. He's hilarious/a genius. The class is hard, but is worth it/provides growth! Give him a chance!
Hal Miller is a superb professor. He is brilliant and and his mission is to teach students to think critically for themselves. Yes, he is extremely demanding, and requires heavy reading and precise writing. But that's why you learn so much from him. Hal is an absolute gem - make the investment and don't miss out on BYU's finest professor.
I took Hal's PSYCH308 (stats) class through IS and learned a lot. He knows which concepts are most difficult for his students and advises you where to focus your time. Each lesson's objectives are laid out clearly, and the exams don't have any surprises. Just do all the textbook practice questions, it makes a difference. I would take Hal again.
There's an open book, self-graded quiz each class period. He talks about the quiz questions afterward but it's a lot of confusing rambling. Each week, there is an individual and group exam as well as a group assignment. He is an extremely tough grader as well. I think this class could be very interesting if taken with a different professor.
Great professor, great lectures, great class to make friends in because of the group work. Dr. Miller is the best!! Stay on top of your work though, cause its tough!
This was my least favorite class. Professor Miller is very smart and he knows it. He taught us from a textbook he wrote himself. He uses a lot of words that your average college student doesn't understand which causes you to be very confused. I didn't feel like I could ask questions because I would be belittled. I did learn how to better write APA.
Dr. Miller is intelligent, amiable, and gives fair tests. But his grading is HARSH and he does not give any helpful feedback. He was so slow at grading that we didn't know we were scoring low until we'd turned in several assignments. Meaning we couldn't improve before doing the next assignment.
This class is hard, you will learn APA however and really own that. The rubric is vague, and if you struggle with that I would choose another 307 prof. Dr. Miller is smart and wants you to learn a lot, he will push you to be a better writer and own APA style.
Dr. Miller was very nice but lectures could be unclear or off-topic. The online textbook is confusing, and although the in-book questions help you engage the material, it was also time-consuming. Tons of group work. Lots of quizzes and tests after each chapter. He was very respectful of everybody's opinions and always allowed input during class.
Get ready to work in teams... This class is ALL about teamwork. Hal Miller is an intelligent guy, who actually cares about his students. He is hard to understand at times, and he loves to talk, but if you listen to the prompts, everything is straight forward.
Do anything you can to take this class from a different professor. His textbook that he wrote himself was poorly written and was hypocritical. He was disrespectful to students and waited until the end to give back feedback which made it difficult to understand how to improve for the next assignment. His feedback was also not clear.
Jee! Worst class and worst professor ever! I was taking this class for my 3rd degree and after so many classes and professors, I thought I am ready for anything. I was wrong! Layout of the class is very clear but grading is impossible. Poor to zero feedback so entire class basically blindfolded, required book is a mess. Avoid this pr. by all means!
Honestly dont know what to say besides hes the worst. Like honestly the worst professor Ive ever had & this is my senior year of undergrad so Ive had a lot. Is so harsh with his grading but unwilling to help you understand why you got the score you did or how to improve. Avoid taking a class from him at all costs
Pr. Miller has a lot of passion for what he does, and is very intelligent. He's a HARSH grader. He doesn't get grades in quickly, so you don't know how you're doing in the class until after the fact. I received my midterm score the day before I took the final. No feedback, and his instructions are very vague, so you don't know what is expected.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
70%
Textbook Required
100%
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