2.6
Quality4.2
Difficulty42%
Would Retake85
Reviews42%
Would Retake
85
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
23
4
7
3
7
2
13
1
35
What Students Say
“THIS IS A SERVICE INDUSTRY, I pay you to teach me”
PSY438 - 1.0 rating“Have you ever taken a class after reading some rough review of the professor thinking 'oh they can't be that badd, I can handle it”
PSY438 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
93%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.14 avg changeRatings by Course
PSY440
5.0
(1)PSY334
5.0
(1)PSY436
3.3
(11)PSY341
3.0
(10)PSY450
2.8
(14)Difficulty by Course
PSY431
5.0
PSY445
5.0
C
5.0
PSY438
4.6
PSY415
4.4
Reviews (85)
REALLY REALLY tough professor and does not take any consideration of her students: ignores emails, etc. She made this course unnecessarily difficult. Dropped my GPA.
I hated and failed this class ,now in my senior year have to retake a gen ed. NEVER have a actually received an F in a class and had now way to bring it up. 3 tests one cumulative final. Didn't wanna give extra credit until every student begged. MY whole class complained to the department b/c she should not be teaching 200 level classes DO NOT TAKE
She's horrible. When you want to express your dissatisfaction she super rude as well
The three 400 level courses I took this semester were easier than this one. She ignores emails, the class average was below a 70%, and didn't give opportunity for extra credit until everyone begged. There were four exams and no other options to bring your grade up. Many students actually complained to the head of the psych dept. Don't take her!
Terrible class and teacher she is by far the worst professor I've ever had in my four years at ub
Worst prof ever. Doesn't post notes, no review sheet, no extra credit until the whole class begged for it. average below a 70% for a 200 level course. I got an A in my 400 lvl course and yet a C- in this class, like whatt?!? Wording on her exams are very tricky and difficult. Get ready to read, but then I read and still didn't pass. DONT TAKE HER!
Professor Lacy is very nice and more than fair. She's an excellent professor and she throughly explains the material. If anything, she over explains; even reviews key topics before starting every lecture. Her exams are a little tricky, but if you know the material, you'll be fine. Several students did complain, but, IMO, they had no reason to.
I found her to be a very reasonable professor in PSY 250. She mostly taught from the book, which meant that on the few occasions where I had to miss class I could catch up easily. It was not at all hard to get a good grade, but some people seem to really struggle with her. I emailed her for clarification on a few points and she was always helpful.
My entire class seemed to complain about her quite a bit. I went to class, took notes, and skimmed over the chapters in the book. Her notes are basically straight from the book, so if you missed class it wouldn't be a big deal to catch up. Her wording on the 3 exams and final were a little tricky, but not a huge deal if you knew the material.
Had her for Neuropsychology. She's an awesome professor who really really loves the material and loves to answer all questions. The subject material is difficult, though, and likewise the exams can be challenging. A good grade is more than achievable, though.
Had a hard Time with this professor. Graded on exams only and the exams were tough. Doesnt post slides or lectures which made it hard to keep up and study. Probably wouldn't take again. You must attend every lecture and read the textbook in order to hope to pass. No extra help.
Terrible. Slides are dry, no pictures just text definitions from the book which she just reads. Wouldn't take her again, no posted lectures, no study materials, no extra credit, no breaks given! Any professor who decides to punish a students grade based on attendance needs a reality check. THIS IS A SERVICE INDUSTRY, I pay you to teach me.
Have you ever taken a class after reading some rough review of the professor thinking 'oh they can't be that badd, I can handle it.' THIS IS THAT PROFESSOR! I have had the wort time in this class and I am a student who takes pride in their work. It is abundantly clear that she does not care about her students.
Very robotic woman. Exactly by the book no room for leniency what so ever. Forget extra credit, forget even partial credit for short answers on exams. If your answer, paper, or idea isn't in line with what she believes to be true then it is wrong. This is an unproductive way to teach and doesn't create an environment where students are engaged.
She is a nice professor and makes casual jokes but the tests are ridiculous. It is obvious that she just reads the text maybe a week in advance and makes lecture slides that are word for word from the book, yet attendance is mandatory. I just wish if attendance is mandatory there would at least be info that I couldn't get from reading the book.
I don't know why everyone is complaining about Professor Lacy, I loved her! She's very approachable and gives you great feedback on tests and papers. If you didn't study thoroughly for the tests then don't expect to pass. Plain and simple. If you go through lecture material and the textbook, the tests are a breeze! I'm ready to take her again!! :)
Hard teacher, not worth the head ache. Complicated tests, total grade gets affected by absences, opiniated grading methods. Lectures are black and white slides that are comprised of copied textbook lines. Basically the kinds of teacher that makes you afraid to ask a question. Just. Not. Worth.
If you complain about Dr. Lacy you clearly do not put the effort in. She makes everything SUPER clear and YES everything is in the book, but shouldn't that make exams easier? She is super approachable and truly cares about her students. Take a week before the exam to study, and she reviews before every exam. She makes you work, but it's doable.
She try to be nice but it comes off as condescending in nature which for me at least it makes it hard to be receptive to the feedback given. I have had hard professors before but she easily ranks in my top 3 hardest ever. Can be unfair at times, more of a researcher than a teacher.
I scored below average on first exam, went to her asked what I should be doing to improve. She was very condescending which made me discouraged but I decided to try and read every page of every chapter from then on. Continued to do poorly and she did not care even when I explained how hard I was working. Hard to do well when teacher doesnt care!
Attendance isn't mandatory but she uses TopHat for a participation grade. She also doesn't post lectures online so make sure to go to class. Your overall course grade is just your exam grades (with the exception of the TopHat participation). Read the text, it helps a lot.
Lets get straight to the point, she is a nice person and a great teacher, Although the way she asks questions on exams is not clear. Also, she is very and I mean very specific about her answers on exams, meaning u have to know the material in depth. study hard! shes a picky grader, you wont pass if you pull all nighters in this class!
She's a good professor overall and the concepts of the class are actually really easy (especially if you read the book). She's very strict with attendance and excused absences though.
I'll get right to it, don't waste your time giving yourself a headache. Shes a word for word text fiend. I believe as a college student we should all read our texts however this teacher expects exact term for term memorization of each and every facet of the textbook. Doesn't allow for interpretation, wants you to be a book zombie and do as she does
Professor Lacy makes the tests and material way harder than it needs to be. She reads directly from the slides in lecture but then expects in depth knowledge for the tests. I find her very condescending and the more she talks the less I want to listen.
Dr. Lacy is a great professor! She assigns a lot of papers but this class is good for those who want to improve on their APA writing. The test material is easy but there is a lot of material on one test. Attendance is mandatory and the textbook is required.
I could write an essay of reasons to steer clear of joyce. But I will be cut and dry about this for you. She is strict and condescending when you ask for help or clarity. For whatever reason I got on her bad side and it was all down hill from there. So my friend please, learn from my own pain and suffering, it's just not worth it.
Dr. Lacy is a great professor. She has no problem helping students during office hours and she is very approachable outside of class. Her tests are tough but as long as you put in the work, attend class (notes not posted online) and put in the effort, you'll do fine. I plan on taking her next semester as well.
Dr. Lacy seems intimidating based on previous reviews, but anyone who has reviewed her negatively obviously hasn't met with her in person. Her class is challenging and dry but she's sweet & helpful in office hours. She gives extra points when a lot of people in the class do poorly on a test. Just go to class, study hard and go to her office hours!!
Her classes are packed with info and she will go the full class time nearly every class, but the exams and assignments aren't at all impossible. She's very knowledgeable and delivers a lot of info during class, but does so clearly and will clarify or answer questions. Go to class, take notes, and focus on the topics she spends a lot of time on.
She is incredibly helpful with questions and advice. I would recommend her to anyone.
I loved the class I took with Professor Lacy. She is knowledgeable about psychology, very approachable, and her lectures are super interesting. I highly recommend her!
The lecture is essentially straight from the textbook but reading the textbook does help form a better understanding of the course material. Attendance is mandatory but you could possibly miss a class or two with no harm to your grade. Tophat is used. Go to her office hours. She's super helpful. Will be easy if you study.
Dont take this class if you want to get an A. Attendance is mandatory. Lecture slides are half-filled, therefore, must attend every class to complete notes. Exams are MC and essay questions. YOU have to be as detailed as possible to get credit on essay questions. You need to write 3 essays which are worth 27 percent of the final grade. Demanding.
Professor Lacy is great teacher! She is happy to answer questions and will stay after class to talk with you or meet during office hours. The classes are straightforward, especially if you read the textbooks and all of her exam questions are fair. Be sure to proof your papers because she cares about grammar. Everything she does is to help you learn
I took this course because I was interested in how psychology and law are related. This teacher doesn't even know what she is talking about. She says she is there to help students, but when I went to her I got nothing. Her exams are so hard even A students got bad grades. I would not recommend taking any of her classes.
does not how to pass on the knowledge effectively.
Attendance is mandatory but theres no point to go to class because she spends 25 minutes on one slide. The exams have a horrible essay section that relates to nothing we did in class. She does not post slides, she does not post study guides and shes bad at teaching in general. Take this class and its basically come to class but screw u
The worst professor I've had. Lectures make no sense, she uses top hat and you have to be in class before it starts cause she will only leave the attendance code up for 3 minutes. Students got marked absent who were there. Made the topic hard to understand, tests were difficult. Take with Wendy Quinton ONLY, she helped me understand psy350 easily.
Most of the time, it doesn't matter how much you study. The tests are incredibly ambiguous (especially online ones). She also asks questions on the tests with outdated information, so you don't have a chance at getting it right anyway. She graded my papers easy because I also took her advanced research class. Tests though? Unfair and unclear
I was really disappointed with this class. I'm typically an A student and struggled to pull a C. The exam questions seemed out of nowhere rather than stuff you'd expect from lecture/textbook, and even though the class average was low, she never applied a curve or otherwise addressed our collectively mediocre performance. Learned nothing useful.
Joyce Joyce Joyce. Tisk tisk. Joyce Lacy is a classic example of a professor who DOES NOT care about teaching the student. I am not sure what she is doing in education because the way her tests are structured, they was she treats her students, and the way she runs a class does not reflect a person who is there to ensure a student LEARNS.
Worst Professor at UB, Very harsh grader when it comes to papers. TBH Exams are not bad but still she is the worst at UB, avoid if you can because she will end up ruining your gpa
She says jokes and laughs at it. She makes sure everybody fails.
The people complaining here are just simply lazy. Dr. Lacy is a great professor who gives you everything you need to inorder to succeed in her class. She is a hard grader relative to some of the other professors in the department but since when was college supposed to be anything less than a challenge?
Doctor Lacy is a decent professor who teaches difficult classes. Because this semester was completely online classes seemed more difficult than normal. You must take very detailed notes and prepare very well for her exams, as even she admits they are challenging. As for attendance... its a college class. If you do not go, you will not pass.
Dr. Lacy has very high expectations for her students, but also cares deeply about them. The class itself was not difficult, there was just a TON of material. The exams are completely fair, and her notes are tailored to the exam which is super helpful. Class is mandatory, but even if they werent good luck passing if you dont go. She is very sweet!
I usually am an A student but this class OMG was it hard she never replies to emails does not care about helping students wont post slides wont keep lecture recordings up for more than the day of the live class harsh grader i asked her help to do better and she basically said read the book she made me cry at the exams because they relate to nothing
EXCESSIVE amount of information on exams, on top of that extremely difficult wording on test questions. Cog lab questions are pretty easy and so are the MindTap quizzes, but that's only about 24% of your grade. If youre a future cognitive scientist you might love Dr. Lacy, but if your a normal student AVOID HER AT ALL COSTS. Over. Complicated.
As long as you actually try you'll do fine. Very clear in expectations. There was a lot of material to learn but none of it was difficult and it was right out of the textbook. She is always very sweet and has a good attitude, stays after to answer any questions, and is very understanding in emails. Literally just don't be lazy- that's all.
Joyce seems nice, but shouldnt teach. Sometimes we just arent cut out for certain things. Her teaching style is talking while you take notes. Also, she is a very tough grader, she provides little to no guidance when it comes to studying for her exams, and how to meet her paper requirements. I recommend someone else for the course of PSY438.
I usually do very well in school but this class was my worst nightmare. Shows no leniency missing class whatsoever even when you have to miss class for an appointment or other, documentation from doctors dont mean anything, she shows little guidance expects you to know everything, kind of made me feel like an idiot and thats not a teacher I want
Professor lacy was by far my favorite professor at UB. She respected students and learned all our names by the second class. Her students were not just enough number to her, she was there to help with the course and provided great career advice. Overall a genuinely great person. Her lectures were very organized, detailed, and to the point!
Dr. Lacy is one of my favorite professors I've had at UB. This class is not easy and the material is dense but the exams are based off of her notes and she is a great lecturer who explains the material in a way that allows for a comprehensive understanding. Her grading is also very fair and she genuinely seems to want her students to be successful
Ive never met a professor as harsh and rude as Dr. Lacy. I love psych but with my learning disabilities it can be hard to keep up. Luckily my accommodations have made it much more obtainable to stay on track. However, Dr. Lacy refused to comply with my accommodations and made the class much harder than it should have been for me. AVOID HER.
If you don't show up to class you will fail. I struggled to retain all the information from lectures. If you miss class pray classmates are nice enough to send you notes cuz she records lectures but doesn't post them for students to revisit. I wouldn't recommend taking this class with her if you are not good at test-taking (3 tests = 72% of grade).
I don't know why Prof. Lacy has so many bad reviews bc her class is self-explanatory and she explains things in a simplified manner. She would demonstrate experiments to us and it made her class all the more engaging. I would say to study the textbook with active recall for the exams and go to class because she does not record or provide lectures.
I really enjoyed having Dr. Lacy as my professor this semester. She explained all the concepts in great detail which I felt made the course less difficult. She does not post the slides online so you have to go to lecture but her lectures were very detailed and she always left time for students to take great notes. Overall, a really great class.
okay Joyce lacy is definitely going to push you very hard, you have to dedicate a lot of time to studying for exams as she is very thorough with her exam content. I used to rewrite lecture slides and sections of the textbook for exams- definitely a lot of work but well worth it in the end. if you're not lazy and put in the work you will do finel
I disagree with everyone saying she doesn't accept documentation - I was sick this semester and she sent me the recorded lectures with no questions. She's an amazing teacher and super patient with her students (she'll go back a slide if you ask for it). Maybe she's changed her methods, but she's been amazing this semester.
a large portion of the assignments are groupworks, so your groupmates that you choose can influence your grade.
Worst professor I've had at UB. Avoid her. She makes it very obvious that she has favorite students.
please please for the love of god stay away from her. she teaches classes like you already have a phd in the subject and her lecture slides are too difficult to understand.
I think this is just a difficult class due to the amount of content, but she didn't necessarily make it any easier. she's nice enough, you definitely need to spend a lot of time studying on your own to get a decent grade
PSY 350 is one of those courses where people realize they need to learn how to study. Don't listen to the reviews that trash Dr. Lacy or her character -- her exams are all insanely easy if you just spend 10-20 minutes a day looking over your vocab. Only thing that sucks is mandatory attendance, but show up and you'll do just fine.
Lectures are hard to understand like shes teaching this to another psych professor.Exam questions are phrased like shes constantly trying to trick you so you spend half the exam time trying to understand what shes asking.Easier to just read the textbook than attend class but its required. Overall just a bad professor, teaching is just not her skill
It took me time to adjust, but Dr. Lacy is a thorough and concise professor. She teaches very closely to the textbook, and the exams are pretty difficult. However, you'll do great if you pay attention to lectures and the textbook! Content is interesting, but it overlaps with other psych classes a lot.
Many of the bad reviews here are likely from people who did not attend the lectures. Her class is mostly graded through tests, but as someone who doesn't test well, just study notes from the lectures you'll do fine. Speaking of, she doesn't post lecture notes but goes at a good pace, and if you see her after class she'll give you any you missed.
professor was the worst, the lectures were so confusing and hard to understand even after reading the book. emailed her about my grades and she accsued me of not studying or doing the work, overall teaching is NOT her strong suit to say the least
Dr. Lacy is very passionate and engaging. You have to attend class and effectively study. You gotta go back and consolidate the material on your own to make sure you truly understand. This course is dense--I wish exams were split up a little more. But just like every other class, if you put effort in, you can do well
Exams are based mostly on textbook info, not lecture material. Attendance is graded and exams outweigh every other category for grading so, be mindful.
Makes very snarky comments to some students that discourages seeking help. Only take this course if you're willing to do lots of work (writing, studying, etc) and if you're willing to devote some serious time to it. Also, why are we still grading participation in 2024? Just goofy especially since this class is just PSY 350 with writing added to it
Very dense and lectures are rushed. Exams weigh the most towards your grade. ~20 MC & 3 out of 4 S/A. 4 confusing timed quizzes on articles, 1 5-7 pg research paper with 3 parts. If you're genuinely interested in the intersections of psych+law, go for it; I won't lie it's very interesting and useful into. But if not, definitely not worth the stress
Dr. Lacy is very knowledgeable, but she cannot convey material to her students in a way that we can understand. She is one of the hardest graders I have ever experienced in undergrad and I am in my senior year. I would not recommend this class to anyone unless you want to spend all your time devoted to this singular class. Save yourself from her!!!
The lectures are not recorded but the notes are partially written in, if you miss more than 2 classes you will get points off your final grade. The grades aren't bad but the tests have short answer responses and you need to hit all the points in detail or else she wont give you the credit.
Dr. Lacy was one of the best psych professors I've had so far. This class is tough, especially if you aren't a good writer, but she is very willing to provide feedback and help you improve. If you study the lecture slides, exams are not anything crazy.
6 paper assignments and 3 tests are worth a lot. Takes off points for grammar but gives good feedback on everything. Some group work, 1 presentation, and 1 paper together. The paper is a collective grade, so pick partners wisely. The presentation is individual grades, but each group work assignment is only about 3% of the grade. Good Person.
Dr. Lacy wants you to succeed in class and learn the material fully, so her classes can be challenging. I have noticed: -Expectations for assignments are clearly laid out -Useful feedback is provided on paper assignments -Exams require you to understand the material, not just memorize it -She IS open to help you outside of class -Grading is fair.
Lacy is very engaging & passionate in class. BUT she teaches while you take notes—very hard to keep up. Exam questions are phrased quite confusingly. Textbook is more understandable than lectures but lectures purely depend on textbook. One good thing about her is that she tells you psychology programs that you can apply, and gives you life lessons
Dr. Lacy is a really tough grader. She never specifies everything SHE thinks is required on the papers or even lecture material. You will be in the dark for the exams because she doesn't specify what to study, no practice questions, nothing. Lecture slides are overall unhelpful, make sure to take good notes. Very nitpicky/ attention to detail.
Overall not a good class to take. She will not specify what she exactly wants on papers. She is very nit picky on every detail. I went to office hours a few times and she nit picked every detail and I still did not do that well. The group project is time consuming and she does not give adequate time. Do not take this class it is horrid.
Very difficult teacher in an unnecessary way! Doesn't share notes, her teaching is completely worthless as you won't learn anything from her lectures. She showed rudeness towards her students multiple times, and more importantly she won't help you if you ask for help! Her exact comment “I can't babysit you, you gotta do the work all by yourself”
I enjoyed taking this class with Dr. Lacy! Her lectures were interesting and easy to follow. She teaches very closely to the textbook, and reading the textbook is required and graded. She's always willing to answer questions about the material, and some of her points have been really insightful! As long as you actually do the work, you'll be fine.
Exams weigh more than other assignments. Lectures felt rushed. Overall, class was difficult
Bad reviews are from people who don't understand this class is meant to be challenging. Dr. Lacy is literally fine. She waits a minute before speaking to let people write down the notes first. Always gives specific feedback for every assignment. READ IT. Also FYI the exam questions are almost all exactly the same as the textbook practice questions.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
93%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.14 avg changeRatings by Course
PSY440
5.0
(1)PSY334
5.0
(1)PSY436
3.3
(11)PSY341
3.0
(10)PSY450
2.8
(14)Difficulty by Course
PSY431
5.0
PSY445
5.0
C
5.0
PSY438
4.6
PSY415
4.4