2.6
Quality3.9
Difficulty37%
Would Retake164
Reviews37%
Would Retake
164
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
31
4
20
3
22
2
27
1
64
What Students Say
“The class itself is a lot of info, and having to rely solely on the textbook doesnt help”
PSYCH239 - 2.0 rating“Don't know if she's on a power trip or what”
PSYCO355 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
34%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.51 avg changeRatings by Course
PSYCO405
5.0
(1)PYSCH239
4.0
(2)PSYCH333
3.0
(2)PSYCHO335
3.0
(2)PSYCO239
2.9
(80)Difficulty by Course
PSCYO239
5.0
PYSCH239
4.5
PSYCHO335
4.5
PSYCO335
4.2
PSYCH239
4.0
Reviews (164)
Explains concepts very well
She tests on the small details in the textbook. First midterm was on 8 chapters from both her notes and the textbook. She has a lot of case studies from personal experience but relies on the textbook for the content of the class which was annoying.
She doesn't give a rubric for the paper and then marks it's ridiculously. Don't know if she's on a power trip or what. Also almost everything you learn is pointless and she will not help you with anything. I even found her email responses quite rude. Avoid at all costs.
Jay's class is built paradoxically. 1: The things you learn in class are explanations of clinical experience (which is valid if you are interested in clinical psych). 2: The things you will actually be tested on are mostly rote memorization from the text (which is exceptionally specific). Paper too. Self-study is a must throughout. Not a GPA +.
Quite a few of the exam questions based on small details from the textbook that she didn't touch on at all in lectures. Seemed like too many grades given to reward people for reading every last inch of the textbook, rather than for knowing the main concepts. She let the textbook do all the heavy lifting, and spent class time on discussions.
She is nice but the exam is HARD. Test on every details on the textbook and there is no solid guideline for the paper. The exams are not based on the lectures.
Honestly don't take her. She tests on every single detail from the textbook. for 2nd year psych course she makes it hard. Pointless going to class because nothing is tested from the lectures. Not a GPA booster. Not recommend.
Absolutely terrible. Doesn't teach the material she tests on, then proceeds to test on stats and small facts from the textbook that contribute absolutely nothing to the understanding of the course. Doesn't provide a practice test (which she is supposed to), and spent a solid half a class bashing some professor from Toronto. Waste of my time.
I really liked the material we were learning but had to read the entire 561 page giant textbook from front to back and were tested on minuscule details from the textbook. There is no point in going to class, as she doesn't test on anything said in lecture and there is very little overlap between the lecture and the textbook. Would not recommend
Terrible prof. Tests on the most minute details, need to essentially memorize the giant textbook. Course is made up of four online quizzes, two midterms, and a final, all multiple choice but questions are super specific. Gave little to no feedback on concerns in the course. Non-curved and the grade cutoffs led to a class average of a C+ so far.
Loved her! Amazing prof! Seemed really interested in the material and kept me engaged throughout! Don't know why people are complaining :(
In her defense, she is very new here and she made her first two midterms very easy, having extremely high averages (something the department frowns upon). Her reaction was to grade the final paper (without a rubric) in a very nit-picky manner. Also the final exam was garbage, where she just pulled random facts out and expected you to regurgitate.
AVOID HER AT ALL COSTS! Requires you to remember every little detail from the textbook and no overlap with her lectures and what she tests on. When asked on how to do better on her exams she was of little help. This class was extremely hard for a psych course.
Jay is an amazing lecturer, but her exams are a little bit ridiculous. She barely tests on lectures but tests on almost irrelevant textbook information. I really enjoyed going to her class and listening to case studies, she is definitely passionate about what she is teaching, but her tests don't reflect any of it.
She has lots of clinical experiences to share but mostly are unrelated to the textbook. Exams are all textbook-based (test every small detail on textbook). Midterms average are high, and so she marks ridiculously harsh on the paper (no rubric is given) and the final exam, aiming to pull down the average. Dont recommend!
Lectures were not relevant to exams, mostly based on the textbook. The paper was presented as being lax, but she marked it ridiculously hard like it was an English class. The lectures were very engaging but felt like they were for fun more than anything else. Unfortunately all of my criticisms came after the USRI deadline so I must write them here.
Got 22% lower on the written assignment (with no given rubric) than I did on any of the midterms which yielded high class averages. It was unfair how she marked us mainly on our writing style as oppose to our overall understanding of the course material. Do not recommend.
Lecture is a waste of time. Mark paper without a rubric. The class average of the final is 70%. AVOID HER!
Textbook is essential, Midterm and Final based off textbook. Nice prof, however, should of gave students more feedback
Fun to listen to, but lectures are not tested. She gives useless replies on the discussion board that does not make anyones life easier and encourages students to not go to exam viewing because "it will not help you on the next exam". Her lectures are entertaining, but be ready to know all the details rather than understanding the concepts.
First of all she is a nice lady. Second of all she's an absolutely awful professor. There is absolutely no point in going to class because she will just test you on some random statistic from the textbook that you probably didn't see. Get ready to regurgitate crap from the textbook. Do yourself a favor
Super basic notes- doesn't teach you a single thing cause its all repeat but get into the textbook and its so in depth about everything. Useless prof, should go back to being a clinical psychologist - hopefully she does a better job at that. This is an arts psychology, im not sure how arts students are going to pass
In order to pass you must memorize every line from the textbook, which she doesn't go over in lecture. Lectures essentially useless, although they are interesting. Understanding concepts won't help you do well. Might be the first class I withdraw from.
The lecture materials are never tested - the exam questions are 100% based on the textbook. I am really unhappy with this class because you learn much more from a $200 textbook. Paying $500+ tuition to attend the useless lectures is just simply USELESS. Conclusion: Avoid
She was a wonderful lecturer and class was always interesting and engaging. She does like to test on material on the textbook but I found that if you read material before going to class, you could actually see that the test material did correlate well with lecture material. Midterm, Quizzes and Final all MC, not bad. Would take her again! Recommend
Her lectures are interesting (she gives lots of examples from her patients) but they are useless. The majority of lectures don't cover everything on the exam, they're 100% from the textbook. The whole class was marked by 4 quizzes, 2 midterms, 2 assignments and the final. Assignments could be a bit vague but she usually tried to help when needed.
Honestly she's great. People who say she's a bad professor and complain probably did bad on the exams because they don't know how to read the REQUIRED textbook. She said it in the syllabus, in class, and before exams "READ THE BOOK". Easy enough. I did this and got A+'s on all exams. This isn't high school people, read the book and you'll do fine!
Jaylene was an absolutely incredible professor, and I genuinely find the other ratings on here thus far completely inexplicable. She is hilarious, intelligent and explains concepts thoroughly. You do have to read the textbook like your life depends on it, but that is hardly different from other psychology classes. Highly recommended.
She was wonderful. Yes, you HAVE TO READ THE TEXTBOOK. She doesn't exactly keep that a secret. I thought the first assignment was marked fairly (haven't gotten the second one back yet). She's very charismatic and engaging. I genuinely looked forward to going to her class every Tuesday Thursday. Very helpful in office hours. Would highly recommend!
Although she is funny and entertaining, I did not pay my tuition for a comedy show. I'd like to think I paid to learn, but this is not what happened in classes. She lightly skims over some of the learning material, most of which is not tested on. Most classes we ended 30 mins early or more because she simply did not use class time effectively.
Do yourselves a favour and avoid her as a professor. She doesnt teach whatsoever and expects you to read the entire textbook for the exams. I would never take her again even if my graduation depended on it.
If you want to be tested on random obscure information from the textbook while also spewing out random psychological facts that were never covered in class then this prof is for you. Cares a lot about the topic but has horrible tests and is extremely strict. Majority of the class is spent in discussion that means nothing and will never be tested.
I took psyco 239, really interesting course. Jay was a great prof, super chill and knowledgeable. Multiple choice tests and a couple of simple individual assignments. People that didn't read the textbook did not do well. I read textbook twice. Once cover to cover and then re-read chapters before exams and did very well in course. I would recommend
idk why people are hating, yes you have to read the textbook and I didn't find she tested on overly specific stuff. She really is a character in lectures lol really engaging to listen to although only covers very basic stuff in class.
Her classes were interesting and fun to attend but nothing in class was tested on. Everything on the exams comes straight from the textbook. Many small details are tested on from a large textbook. Attendance is not necessary in this class.
avoid avoid avoid. The midterms and the final are straight from the text but test on minor details. don't bother learning the major concepts or going to lecture because you won't be tested on both. It is better to skip class and read the textbook twice then sitting through her lectures.
I loved Jay! Definitely take this class! She makes the material interesting to learn and is very helpful outside of class; Also, read the textbook to prepare for exams and you'll be almost guaranteed an A. Class notes were okay, so go to class and add to them.
I loved Jay! She was super knowledgable and interesting during lectures. Assignments worth 15% (7.5% each) and are an easy 15%. The midterms and final are noncumulative and super easy as long as you read the textbook. I didn't find that she tested on minor details, as a lot of the other reviews state. Easy A if you put in the effort
Jay posts all of her lecture notes online for easy access which makes it easy to follow along. There are also online assignments and quizzes so that the exams are not weighted as heavily as other classes. The midterms and exams are noncumulative and multiple choice, but focus on a lot of text material. At least skim the textbook for a good grade.
Take her only if you are interested in applying psych in the real world, not just taking a course. She has so much experience and that is the focus of her lectures. She is a hard marker on papers but gives tons of feedback and wants you to do better. She has a high standard that separates the achievers from the slackers.
I learned nothing from lecture and we get tested hard from the textbook. It's hard to get prepared for tests since you never really know what exactly you should study for. She just expects you to know EVERYTHING.... I couldn't avoid her 'cause she's the only prof teaching this course. But if you can, AVOID.
Jay's lectures are really useless, she just briefly goes over each topic and leaves out a lot of detail that you have to learn on your own through the textbook. The class itself is a lot of info, and having to rely solely on the textbook doesnt help. Exams are fairly difficult as well and she refuses to give clear answers on student questions
Jay provides really great clinical experience in her lectures which really helps give real examples for many of the disorders. You will need to read the entire textbook but it is very well written and easy to follow. Tests are fair, do your work and studying and you will do fine. Attend lectures if you are really interested in the topic.
Wonderful prof. She helps relate the topics to her clinical and graduate experience which helps solidify concepts. She's enthusiastic and wants her students to do well. Accessible outside of class and offers tips and help for your writing. Fairly challenging tests and an assignment that isn't really that hard, just take the time to write clearly.
Jay has great clinical experience that she uses as examples in class. She makes herself readily available to help with writing and with any questions about the assignment. Textbook is long and dry but she does test from it so make sure to do your reading. She's super passionate about what she does and makes the class as interesting as she can.
Class consisted of two midterm exams worth 25%, two small online quizzes cumulatively worth 5%, a video assignment worth 10% and a final worth 35%. The amount of reading required to attain a good grade is massive and tough to maintain. The only time that I would suggest anyone to take this class is if they find the material extremely interesting.
I absolutely LOVED Professor Brinker. Yes, her exams are rough and yes, you HAVE to know the textbook material well, but she is an incredible lecturer. She makes basic topics interesting, however lecture attendance is not mandatory. Does test on in class material in the final, but very little on the midterms. Textbook knowledge is critical.
Brinker is an unbelievably interesting lecturer. Her exams are tough and entirely textbook based except a small portion on the final. Study HARD, memorize everything you can and use study materials wisely. Don't expect any useful feedback for exams but expect a good laugh during lecture time.
Jay Brinker is a great person, but not a great prof. Although her lectures are interesting, they do not talk about the things that will be on the tests. READ, READ, READ the awful wordy textbook to do well on the tests. She tests on the little things too. Her paper was graded harshly, and the average for my class was very low - beware
If you've done well in other psych classes, this will be similar. Definitely textbook heavy so you have to read it thoroughly, but it's not a hard read. The slides are really bare though so it helps to go to class. The course and Dr. Brinker aren't nearly as bad as people say on here, so if you like the topic, take it with her.
Honestly, I've had 5 classes with her. I have no idea why people are leaving such nasty comments. If you expect to get through university without reading textbooks, then you won't get very far. she does usually test mostly from the textbooks, but its relevant material that you should know. Her assignments are marked acording to your work and effort
Jay is an interesting lecturer and very approachable. However, on the written assignment 40% of the class received a grade of D or F. SheSaid it was that everyone sucks at writing - but gave vague instruction (no rubric) then was upset people didn't know what she wanted. Great prof - needs to work on how she handles eval. Tests all based on text
Reading through a lot of the past comments, I find myself confused. The midterms were an easy 90%+ if you've retained anything from past courses and if you listen to her in lectures.
Great lecturer, very descriptive and she makes can make the topic quite interesting; however, her notes are not reliable at all. Only teaches what she likes to teach, and does not teach everything we need to know for the tests. You can only pass if you memorize the entire textbook.
Interesting to listen to sometimes but goes on and on about useless information and doesn't even cover required information. Class isn't really necessary but can help for clarification
The textbook for this class is absolutely awful to read, painfully dry, and most of the exam question come straight from the textbook. The material in this course is also not as similar to 239 like I was expecting so keep that in mind. The lecture portion of this class is useless. Memorize the entire textbook if you want a good grade
Exams were ridiculous. One of the SA questions on the 1st midterm was to spit out a sub-sub section of the CPA code of ethics. She is snotty with her feedback and did not mark our written assignments until 10pm the night before our final. Lectures are interesting, but that is all I'll give her. If you want to work hard for a bad grade, enroll away!
Interesting lectures but attendance is not mandatory. Takes 2 month to mark papers/assignments. 2 midterms, 1 individual assignment and 1 groups assignment. just read the textbook 2-3 times before the final and you'll be fine :) oh and the final is cumulative....
I took this class out of pure interest and was excited to attend lectures and learn the material, but this class quickly became one that i really regret taking. This professor knows her stuff and is an amazing lecturer but she makes this class so difficult. The cumulative final is killer. Avoid if you can! Lecture time isn't used to your advantage
I've gotten A's and A+'s in all of my psych courses. Psych 239 was the hardest psych course I've ever taken because of the insane level of details she will test you on. Many exam questions are poorly worded and the level of difficult of the exams tend to be unpredictable. I literally memorized the textbook because there's no other way to do well.
memorize the textbook. cover to cover, every statistic, every caption under the pictures. i barely learned anything i only learn enough to be able to answer a question, then forget about it. its just not worth it. i started skipping lecture to keep up with the copious amounts of stuff to memorize. dont bother going to lecture.
Jaylene is a super nice person and she is awesome at lecturing. Her issue is her tests. She made the first midterm super easy so most people I knew got high 80s or low 90s. The second midterm was made to be harder... way harder. I dropped 20%. And the final is made to be even harder. You have to read the book and know details. It was an ok class.
Did not do well. She is a very hard examiner.
I really enjoyed this course, however, her lectures were very interesting but not really important at all to the tested material. Tests almost entirely covered just the textbook and when she says know everything she means it; minute details are need to know. The written project had no clear criteria. She's funny and the material is engaging.
You need to read the textbook, but you need to in all classes. Overall great fun and helpful teacher!
I took her in 239 and I thought she was okay. Taking her again this year and she's improved a lot. show up to class + write what she says and read the extremely simple textbook, you'll pass; shel'll tell you everything is important but will only test on the easier concepts. This class is an easy A and she's a great person 21%2mid- 20%paper 40%final
Jay Brinker is very intelligent and knows her stuff, but she expects her students to be to her level of knowledge. She tests on ridiculously tiny details from the textbook or lecture. Her first midterms are usually easy and then the second one wrecks you, and she is a notoriously hard paper marker. It also takes her about 2 months to mark things.
Jay is a great prof as long as you're willing to do the reading and attend classes to connect ideas from her lectures to the textbook material. She's clear and straightforward and as long as you're willing to attend class and do your readings- you'll be fine. Jay is an awesome lecturer
Jay's lectures were entertaining, but her exams tested in ridiculously minute details. She expects you to memorize every single detail from the textbook AND lectures. Course content was decently interesting, but I think the amount of info you need to know was overwhelming. She's smart but seems to expect the same amount of expertise from students.
Great professor, very knowledgeable, she knows what she's talking about. The Lectures were intresting and fun. You must read the textbook and memorize everything from it. I did enjoy the class alot however it is a hard class. She does take out the harder questions from the exams that the majority of students got wrong.
Great prof! Not any more demanding than your average psych course. Two midterms and one assignment that's an easy A. Already enrolled in another one of her classes for next semester.
Personality wise, Jay is a fine professor and not only makes lectures interesting with her sense of humor but also bring vital clinical experiences that lend an insight into the world of practicing clinical psychology. However.. her tests are of a different story. She will test on inconsequential details and tiny statistics, and will be vague.
Jay has become one of my favourite profs. She gave really great lectures, and definitely knew what she was talking about. She is a clinical psychologist and gave many examples from her own patients, which were very insightful. There were 2 multiple choice midterms and an easy assignment. I will definitely be taking more classes with her.
One of my favourite professors! You have to read the textbook (warning: its VERY long) but her lectures are incredible! She is so knowledgeable and the cases she discusses in lecture are very interesting. The tests are all multiple choice and are very fair, just make sure you read the textbook and study the lecture notes.
The Netflix of professors in a nutshell..
Jaylene was really good, you could tell she knew what she was talking about and really was passionate about psychology. The only thing that I didnt like was that for the first midterm she told us it was mainly on lecture notes, not the textbook, but for the second midterm she didnt talk about it beforehand and it was like 90% textbook, so hard.
Jay has been my favourite professor Ive ever had. She is funny, and keeps her material interesting. She has lots of interesting stories and examples from her own practice that relate the the material. People like to complain that her tests are textbook heavy, but its pretty evenly split and its not that hard to just read the textbook.
Read The Textbook! Although the textbook can be pretty dry her tests contain a lot of textbook information. There are some questions on exams that are taken from the lecture but mostly lectures are pretty general with some stories from her own experience working with clients. Overall not too challenging if you keep up with the readings.
Jay gets a lot of hate, and while I can't speak to her 335 class, I thoroughly enjoyed 239 with her. She's an excellent lecturer, and kept the class informative and interesting. Reading the book is an absolute must, as is being familiar with lecture material- if you do this, the exams are quite reasonable.
Brinker is an engaging lecturer, but her exams were confusing & unclear. Whenever students asked about lecture/textbook distribution on an exam, she just said "study everything". The content of the course was interesting but sadly the exam style ruined it for me :/
Jay was a good instructor. Her tests were somewhat challenging and focusing on minor details but overall she was decent. She tests heavily from the textbook.
Very textbook heavy, Will teach you a chapter before an exam and will expect you to be tested on that chapter. People may say she has interesting lectures but they really are useless. You would be better off studying off the textbook. Found her lectures boring.
Engaging lectures, uses a lot of examples from her private practice. I found the exams easy, just read the textbook and study using quizlet or another form of flash cards. GO TO LECTURES, it really helps to hear the information out loud.
Brinker is an amazing person, just a super hard tester. Her lectures were engaging but pretty much useless to go to for the midterms--they were textbook heavy. The final was lecture heavy and completely different format than the midterms. If you want to do good in the class READ/MEMORIZE the textbook. This was the hardest class I have ever taken.
Jay is wonderful and her lectures are interesting. Just like most other psych courses, you will have to know the textbook, but her exams are fair. They only feel textbook heavy because the book is really dense compared to most psych textbooks. Treat it like any other course, and you'll do fine !
Jay is an amazing lecturer and has a wealth of knowledge in clinical psychology, but all of if is useless for your grade. Read the textbook 100 times over and listen to the insignificant facts/examples she gives you in class. She marks papers VERY HARD- any time you use a word she doesn't like, she takes a mark off. Avoid if you can.
Very funny, I really enjoyed her lectures. Sucess in her class means attending class (and taking good notes), reading/memorize the textbook. Reading the textbook is VERY important. I found this class hard, but very interesting (I am not a psych major.) I would recommend her if you're willing to read!
She has great stories but it seems like her approach to teaching wasn't for me. It was GREAT for Abnormal Psychology. I recommend her for that class. Not Personality Theory. She didn't seem that interest (even said the textbook was boring). I don't enjoy her multiple choice question exams (maybe add some practice exams or a study guide). Ugh. Nope.
I like her as a person and her lectures were entertaining (gives lots of case studies). Tests are 50% from textbook and I agree with others that she tests on strange details. I'm not a slacker and I always memorize details, but I still found the kind of questions she asks to be very random and hard to prepare for. She removes tough questions tho!!
So I kinda love her and she's my favourite professor and you CAN get an A it's just a bit harder than your average psych prof. She's the most funny and sweet person every but yeah her lectures, slides, AND textbook is all different and tested, and tests and questions like "how many homeless people are there" is uhh.. fun. Still, it's worth it imo.
I absolutely loved this class and Jay. She was my favourite prof Ive had so far and Im not sure why she has a lower rating. Shes hilarious, gives interesting lectures, shes caring, and her exams are very fair. You need to read the textbook and she does test on lecture material too. But overall great class, I would take a class with her again.
Everyone says she's a terrible prof but all you need to do is read the textbook thoroughly (don't just skim) and pay attention in lecture to the details she adds to the slides. Tests are very fair and she took 5 question off both of our midterms and 14 off our final to adjust for tough questions. Engaging lecturer and adds interesting stories. :)
Jay is one of my favourite profs I've ever had honestly. She speaks incredibly well with lots of good information mixed with stories about how people live with and how you actually counsel people with different disorders. If you are looking to become a clinical psychologist I definitely would recommend her. She does test mostly from the textbook.
Jay's class is not incredibly difficult if you put the work in, but its a VERY dry textbook thats heavily tested on. The feedback you get back from the assignment is incredibly unhelpful consisting of comments like "this is wrong" without further explanation, then you are expected to revise and resubmit based on this feedback.
She has a lot of cool clinical experience going for her, but as far as student treatment goes, she's not top par. Will not give clear rubrics, and then will not regrade or even well-explain our bad grades on assignments. Tests are HARD considering there's half the course content of a normal psych course, and she pulls questions right from the text.
Jay is super engaging and funny. I actually enjoyed going to her lectures, as the additional information she presents is really interesting. Lots of case studies. All her tests are multiple choice, but they cover both the textbook and lecture content. Expect to do lots of reading because she does not cover most of the textbook content in class.
I have had Jay a few times now, and I love her lectures. However, despite the fact that her lectures are entertaining her exams always make me go "what the heck". She may test on lecture and textbook material equally, but she will test on small details from the textbook! So make sure to read the points in the TB that may seem insignificant too.
Jay has no compassion. I told her far ahead of time I had to have urgent neck surgery and asked could I do the work ahead of time. She literally said "no", no explanation. TA did the marking, wouldn't have been extra work. I had difficulty getting help or feedback from her in all 3 classes I took with her. Lowest mark in my undergrad, usually As.
She does a good job at teaching the material in recorded lectures. It takes her a very long time to grade any work so at the end of the semester you have no idea what your grade may be. Very very tough grader as well. Good luck getting feedback before the next assignment is due.
She's a harsh marker When I asked her why I didn't get a mark on a paper she said I didn't write anything about the topic when I used articles based on the topic. I didn't receive any marks for the paper like she didn't bother reading my paper. When I asked her on eclass forum she sent me an email giving me crap about posting "personal" things
Jay was an amazing professor! Her exams can be difficult/indepth but she will adjust grades as such. Her lectures were amazing, the experience, stories and understanding she has are unparalleled. I found myself remembering material more than any other class. There are a lot of readings and it's 50/50 lecture to reading material.
Wouldn't release quiz questions nor offer exam review. Super unhelpful. Was also unhelpful when I asked for accommodations at the beginning of the semester due to ADHD. For a prof who's talking about mental disorders, she was very dismissive of mine. Take it with a different prof.
She gives good, engaging lectures but her test questions are frustrating. It's more on reading comprehension vs testing if you actually know the material. Students also requested to have her upload notes and to review our quizzes which she denied. Kind of hard to improve if you don't know what you got wrong.
WORST prof I have had. No reviewing quizzes with excuse of "online learning" which is a lie because all other profs let us review. Makes you feel stupid for asking questions as "she explains it clearly in lectures". Too disorganized to ask proper questions on quizzes and emails "sorry" every week for her mistakes! Does not care about her students
PSYCH 239 is known to be an interesting class, however she does not make it enjoyable at all. Her lectures are interesting, however when it comes to testing, it throws you off. Her quizzes are very ambiguous and worded weirdly. You can study a lot for them, but still do poorly which really undermines your effort in doing so. Read the textbook!
Jay's lecture's are pretty straightforward, tests are very confusing - a harsh marker, doesn't let you review your quizzes after so it's hard to know where you went wrong, not very accessible outside class, asked for help once and didn't get any which was discouraging, abnormal psych is one of my faves I just didn't like how she did it
She tested very obscure details that were barely mentioned in the text book. The questions for her final were unreasonably difficult.
Jay does not give good feedback and won't let you review the weekly quizzes. She won't answer questions via email and if SHE thinks she explained it well enough in the lecture she won't clarify. Her quizzes have confusing language/verbiage and are not clear what so ever. She comes off as cold and unwilling to help in the discussion responses.
I loved having her as a prof. Her online lectures were funny and it was very easy to understand what was going on. She encouraged asking each other questions before asking her just to learn from each other. In the end, she lessened the number of questions on the final. Overall, would definitely recommend her.
As long as you pay attention in her lectures and read the textbook you'll do okay in her class.
Jay is a real gem, I appreciate how swiftly she responds to emails. She's made this course thoroughly enjoyable with her organized lectures and quiz feedback to understand where you can improve. She really cares about the students and wants them to do well; the emotional regulation tools she sent at the end of the semester was also a kind gesture!
Dr. Brinker is a good professor overall. Some people have noted that her exam questions were pretty hard this term, and that's true. But she always reviews the questions and eliminates ones that most people got wrong, adjusts the overall class average if necessary, and gives feedback. She's willing to admit her faults and cares about her students.
Jay is a bad prof. She submitted our final marks without even letting us see our final marks. Her tests were too hard and were 30 mins for 15 long paragraph conceptual questions. Her assignments were made up on the spot and this course was completely disorganized. I will definitely not take her ever again. Worst prof at u of a!
Graded on the smallest details she said in class or the smallest things in the textbook. When I asked for help she disregarded me and said she had 300 students to deal with in the class as if she didn't have time for me. Didn't let us review our quizzes or see our final exam marks. Would avoid taking her again at all cost.
Brinker was a good prof, and her lecture videos are enjoyable and the quizzes weren't too bad. However, she decided to make the final exam MUCH harder than any of the quizzes and didn't give us enough time considering how many conceptual questions there were. I'm never taking any of her courses again. There was also too much reading involved.
Brinker's course last semester was definitely a little more content heavy than I expected, but she certainly doesn't deserve all the poor comments. If you put in the time and commitment (as with any other class), you will do just fine. This was actually one of my favourite psychology courses thus far, and her lectures were easy to follow.
Very ude when students asked for help. Myself and several other students in her class have felt this. she refused to answer our questions, refused to let us review quizzes, and her lectures completely focuses on the unimportant things that won't matter on the quizzes. poor at writing questions, as she even admits that some could be misinterpreted.
She's is a RUDE prof. Tests are textbook heavy, super long questions and mc options but short on time. Loved the content but seeing her responses in the forum ruins your day. It's tanking my GPA and I am a straight-A student. Poor professionalism and display of empathy, I guess they're letting anyone be a clinical psychologist these days.
Jaylene is rude and uncaring. I contacted her about a unexpected medical emergency that I was having and she refused to make any kind of exceptions. I studied for a whole week for the midterm and still did horribly because she tests on obscure details and makes everything very hard to understand. Also tests on random things she said in class.
Jaylene truly does not deserve the rating she has. I took both psycho 239 and psycho 335 with her and in both she has been organized, quick to respond, and she also makes the lecture content interesting. The tests are quite hard, but she will always adjust the grades at the end of the semester. Her assignments are straightforward and easy to do.
Very uncaring, cold and tests make no sense at all. She is horrible at writing test questions, and often has to remove questions because of spelling mistakes and etc.. The final exam was much harder than any of the quizzes and tested on things that were never gone over in any lecture. Course is about 60% textbook to 40% actual lecture information.
Took over ten days to respond to an email. Pretentious and disingenuous. Extremely surface level discussions on interesting content. Wastes time talking about her own life and irrelevant information to exams. Wants to be liked, power trips... maybe Dunning Kruger? lol Taking her class will teach you how to learn independently for $600.
If you desire a class that makes you truly feel like the world is a hopeless place and that you want to die, this is the class for you. Vague assignments that are marked vigorously. This professor has an ego (she can do no wrong, but you certainly can) and when coupled with a position of authority this makes for an extremely soul-breaking class.
Jaylene is the worst prof I have ever had.. She doesn't care about her students, she is rude, uncaring, unkind, and makes ridiculous tests are on such small details from the textbook, the TAs mark the assignments without actual knowledge that can destroy grades with no explanation or reason. Please, I beg of you, stay away from any of her classes.
I had her for 239 in person and loved her so maybe its just online? She comes off as rude. The test questions are hard and often grammatically incorrect so has to remove them. I study for hours and do bad even though I'm a straight A student. I also wish she was more accessible and more supportive so I wouldn't be scared to ask questions.
Took psych 335 for winter semester 2021, and it was the hardest set of tests I've ever taken. Due to COVID, she made her quizzes and exams open book, but it was a strange format. It was like riddles or synonyms without even mentioning the actual topic. My GPA took a hit even though I studied for quizzes. Also TA's are tough graders for assignments.
I finished the class with an A but it took double the work of some of my 400 level courses. She has an extremely horrible attitude towards students, and despite being a clinical psychologist she is the least empathetic professor I have had. She marks assignments inconsistently and brags about making tests hard. Be ready to work hard for your grade!
Doesn't allow review of marked tests, tests are very different from class content and poorly written, doesn't post any notes or practice material, and is an inconsistent marker. Created a class chat for help during the final and then never even entered to respond to our questions. Written assignments were easy but I would not recommend her.
The content of the course was interesting but her tests were astronomically difficult no matter how much you studied or read the textbook. Easy assignments but tests are horrendous. The final exam questions didn't even make sense and relied heavily on the smallest details discussed in class that never seemed important. Do not recommend.
was OK in person, but do NOT take an online class with her. Doesn't let you review quizzes, marks assignments based on criteria she never specified. Don't bother going to her office hours for help, she acts like she's too busy for you. Had her in winter2020 too and she made the requirements for an A drastically harder for no reason at all.
She doesn't post slides for her lectures. She doesn't let you review anything that you are tested on. Though she posts review video's for the quizzes I did not find them helpful without being able to look back at the quizzes especially when studying for the final. The class was harder than it should be.. poorly worded tests...
She is difficult but if you put in the time and effort you will do well. She's great at responding at emails and she's really fair.
She answers you if you have any questions and as someone who wants to apply to a clinical psychology program I learnt a lot from her expertise. You have to read the textbook very well and understand the concepts she talks about to do good.
I have no idea where these low ratings are coming from. This was my second course with Jay and she is great. Jay provides excellent feedback, interesting discussions and clear criteria for what she is looking for & how to improve your writing skills. Was this class a lot of work? Absolutely. But do you expect anything less at the university level?
This is a good course if you want to learn about clinical psychology and are willing to put in a LOT of work. The exams are pretty difficult and the average is kept low but is adjusted up at the end. It can feel like you're doing worse than you really are because of this, so be ready for that. Written assignments are easy and can boost your grade.
She doesn't test based of the lecture material or the textbook. The tests are designed to trick you, confuse you and at least a couple will always be extraneous knowledge that was never discussed in class. She also doesn't allow reviewing tests or access to slides. She seems to enjoy when students have a hard time and are struggling with content.
Avoid this woman like the plague. The course content is super interesting, but this prof turns me off from wanting to learn more. Her exam questions are vague and are designed to trick you; if you cannot read her mind then it will be very hard to do well. If you can take literally any other prof then I suggest you do it.
Honestly, just a great professor who gives very thorough lectures. Always answered my emails outside of class really quickly. Tests were challenging, but fair. Final is a lot more challenging than midterm. Take the class if you get the chance, you wont be disappointed
Love her work and she does go out of her way if you ask for help/ turn up for office hours. This is her last year at UofA and I am sad I won't get to do clinical psychology with her.
You have to listen and literally memorize her lectures and the readings, otherwise you will not be able to answer the quiz questions. They are absurdly difficult, often grammatically incorrect, and more than half the time a bunch of questions are dropped from the quiz due to them being wrong or testing on the wrong material. A MESS of a teacher.
Brinker doesn't even meet the bare minimum. We've been giving lecture recordings that were made over a year ago, she is arrogant and despises answering questions from students. Seems like she didn't read over the quizzes once based on the number of typos and ridiculously low averages. I was excited for this course and she ruined it for me. Avoid!!!
the course is content heavy the lectures are very fast and you have to pause almost every slide. It takes almost double the time to any of my other classes and if you don't have every aspect of the lectures and textbooks readings memorized you will not be able to answer the quiz questions. The course is unnecessarily difficult.
Don't do it. I put in the work, did the readings, etc. and still did so bad that I had to drop the class so it didn't bring down my GPA and I am an A+ student. She bases your whole grade off quizzes that are way too hard and poorly made (typos, unclear) Majority are struggling even though the content is so interesting. Overall bad experience.
I was excited for this course, and Brinker was extremely disappointing. She prefaced that she is working as a prof as well as in a clinical position with AHS, which I think took away a lot of her focus. Tests are quite difficult, she provides little helpful feedback and is generally vague and arrogant when she Does respond. Not worth it, AVOID
I was really looking forward to taking this class but Brinker was honestly such a huge disappointment. She has 4 major quizzes and a final exam and everyone was failing the quizzes but she didn't care whatsoever. All her lectures are from last year and she puts no effort into this class. AVOID HER if you can because your GPA will suffer A LOT.
I was so excited to take this class and super interested in the content. However, I was sadly disappointed by it. The quizzes were extremely difficult, even if I spent plenty of time studying. The lectures are brief and not helpful.
Was so excited to take this class, but extremely disappointed. Lecture videos are awful with tons of errors, textbook is nearly impossible to read. Tested on the most obscure information that is either explained poorly or brushed over. Quiz questions are impossible to understand, and Professor Brinker takes marks away from students on a whim.
Her lecture notes are almost word for word straight from the DSM 5 and you are expected to have it all memorized or you will not succeed. Her quizzes are impossible to understand, she is unavailable for help and arrogant and condescending when she does reply. She takes marks off of your quizzes for her own mistakes. The worst prof I've ever had.
I want my money back.
Jay is fantastic. She's obviously passionate about her work and it shows in her lectures. Her lectures are interesting and I genuinely enjoyed this class. That being said, her quizzes and exams are really hard. The questions aren't straightforward and you need to have a thorough understanding of the material to do well.
This was the class I was most excited for & I wish I had taken it with a different prof. Her quizzes almost ALWAYS have grammatical errors & typos, and she tests on material that was never covered in any lectures/readings. She then punishes students who get them correct because they either "guessed" correctly or "found the answer somewhere else".
The lectures were decent but definitely read the textbook for more information. The problem with this class were the tests. She made it extremely difficult. This is by far the worse I have ever done in any course. AVOID.
like many others I was very excited for the contents of this course, and subsequently i was also disappointed. Jay Brinker seems to be someone who is obviously very passionate about her work, however her way of testing and selection of quiz questions was almost absurd. I would definitely suggest enrolling with another professor if you can.
I was really excited to take this class. Instantly regretted it as soon as the first week. The entire course mark is based off of 4 quizzes and a final. The quizzes are extremely hard, if you don't think like her, you will do very bad. I think this course had the highest number of dropouts I've ever seen, me included. Avoid her at all costs!!
Wasn't accessible barely replied to students, never answered questions well. Weirdly worded quiz questions that are super confusing. Literally multiple people asked to confirm the final exam date and never once did.
Poorly made tests, I thought her lectures were good and I was very confident until the test marks came back.
She's inconsistent in her testing structure. Gives you no outline or basis on what to prepare for. Barely responds or communicates with students. Has very little care or respect for students and ensuring that they actually understand the content. Double check if you actually need this class otherwise it will be a waste of time and will drain you.
This prof does not care about her students. Refused to give practice questions for the final exam. When students asked for help she would avoid the question or would give an unhelpful answer. Her quiz questions were hard to interpret and would remove grades from students for her mistakes. This class caused so much unnecessary stress.
Online quizzes were open book and ever the best students would barely pass. Nice because asynchronous. Lots of people dropped out apparently but keep in mind its graded on a curve so she will probably bump you guys up at the end of semester.
She wasn't terrible like these other people are saying. Her quizzes weren't the greatest, but if you studied sufficiently & are able to think critically they're fine. In regard to the review below mine, this class wasn't on a curve, but marks were moved up because the average was low
I enjoyed Dr. Brinker's lecture videos and the material itself, but the quizzes were painful. There were often two "correct" answers that were very difficult to choose from, which was frustrating. It would have been nice to have some assignments rather than just quizzes and a final. Marks were bumped up at the end though and the textbook was free.
Abnormal psych is great, but this prof is not. Her lectures are overly detailed and would oppose our textbook. Additionally, her quizzes often had grammatical/spelling errors in the questions and MC answers, meaning they could not be understood. Therefore, many questions would be removed, and her reason for tweaking marks was never shared/the same.
I wish I believed the reviews before I took her class. Avoid at all costs. Her lectures are fine, and she seems nice enough, but her quizzes and exams are just unreasonably difficult, poorly written, and overly wordy for no good reason. I wouldn't wish this prof on anyone.
A lot of people find her quizzes and exams difficult, which is fair, however Jay makes sure to adjust final grades accordingly. She responded to any questions that I had promptly and is clearly knowledgable in abnormal psychology. Lectures were prerecorded from 2020, but having an asynchronous class meant I could go at my own pace which I liked!
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
34%
Textbook Required
0%
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B+
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-0.51 avg changeRatings by Course
PSYCO405
5.0
(1)PYSCH239
4.0
(2)PSYCH333
3.0
(2)PSYCHO335
3.0
(2)PSYCO239
2.9
(80)Difficulty by Course
PSCYO239
5.0
PYSCH239
4.5
PSYCHO335
4.5
PSYCO335
4.2
PSYCH239
4.0