2.5
Quality3.8
Difficulty25%
Would Retake91
Reviews25%
Would Retake
91
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
11
4
8
3
29
2
24
1
19
What Students Say
“This course definitely requires a lot of time and effort”
PSYC388 - 3.0 rating“Material is not that difficult but so much info”
PSYC388 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
5%
Textbook Required
46%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.90 avg changeRatings by Course
ALLOFTHEM
5.0
(1)PYSC388
3.5
(4)PSY280388
3.0
(2)PYSC106
3.0
(1)PSYC280
2.8
(20)Difficulty by Course
PSYC
5.0
PSYC338
4.3
PSYC388
4.2
BIOPSYCH
4.0
ALLOFTHEM
4.0
Reviews (91)
lectures are dry, course is easy if you find it interesting
Very interesting course, fairly easy if you do the readings
Lectures are boring and long but the text is interesting to read. Exams are ok.
using the study guide helps a LOT.
So boring even he has trouble staying awake. He's more bored than you are.
He is kinda boring, but t he course was awesome! SOoo good
Zzzz...Zzzz
Okay, his interest is in the psychology of sleep. Enough said.
his lectures were so boring that i fell asleep all the time. the midterm & final were mostly multiple choice with some short answer questions. they were hard unless you knew all the material from the text & his lectures.
Very knowledgeable in neuroscience & circadian rhythms, very nice & helpful, humorous when you come to know Ralph in person! Running a lot of cool experiments in his lab.
If u understand his language it'll be easy. His lectures were like a different channel to some student. Very interesting course, its not difficult at all if u, again, understand his language, but remember to attend the tutorials...
He speaks as though he is talking to others in his feild and he tries to hard to sound clinical instead of just stating things simply. However it is very interesting material and the Study GUIDE is amazing!!
Ralph's courses are challenging, but if you get into them, they are awesome. I did honours with him also and it was a fantastic experience. He is a great advisor, and always available for help, or just thoughtful discussion on the topic. He is brilliant, and his research is highly respected in academic AND non academic settings.
Boring!!! Hard to stay awake b.c. his tone is so monotone. The class wasn't too hard- just study hard and learn the PRC!! Take it during interssion just so u can get it over with.
The class is very interesting and applicable to life. Ralph is very knowledgeable on the subject and can provide excellent insight on any questions during class. If you are intersted in the stuff take it! The exams are fair. Make sure to do your extra readings with the provided articles and text. If you read the stuff & pay attention you'll be fine
oh so monotone.... also, for a 3 hour class, he would only give an 8 minute break. not 2 15minute breaks or 1 30minute break as is customary, but 1 8minute break! thats not enough time to use the loo! I would usually go to the first half hour of class, and then listen to the recorded lecture at home for the rest - I was just so bored, I couldn't si
and the rest of my commentary: I was just so bored, I couldn't sit through 3hours worth of this guy yammering and complaining about other ppl in the field. exams are fair. textbook is good. don't take intersession with him - it didnt seem like he prepped before class at all, he often seemed unsure as to what the slides were presenting. disappointed
this is a great class with really interesting materials. However it is all biology with no real mention to pyschology so only take it if you are interested in science to some extent. He is so boring and the textbook teaches way better than he does!
Teacher is very knowledgeable, very passionate about his work. Sometimes tends to go off topic. Very science/biology oriented. Sometimes can be dull, overall a good class. Decent in hardness level.
Good prof, extremely knowledgeable about the subject. Other raters are right, he does tend to go off topic and class can be boring, but intersession made this much better. Exams are quite fair, do your readings, attend lecture, study lecture notes (he posts them on webct before class) and you should do fine.
I am a psych major, this was one of the most hardest courses that i have taken at SFU. I don't doubt that he knows his stuff. It is just really difficult material, and the way that it is taught doesn't make it any easier.
SERIOUSLY even if you understand the material the format of his exams are just ridiculous. Exams are worth so much of your final grade and they're only out of around 30 marks; no room for error. I worked SO hard and because of the exam format, i did absolutely terrible. I wouldn't recommend taking this prof or this course to ANYONE! Had i known his
very monotone and hard to keep concentrated because he uses difficult words to process. however very interested in his field, funny stories/jokes but even then you'll find yourself zoning in and out. exams are fair but hard to study for since there is so much to know
I don't recommend this class to anyone who doesn't want their GPA to take a hit. Midterm average was 52% and Final average was 55%. Class is boring even though the material is interesting and exams questions are hard to predict and -very- difficult.
Loved this class. Lectures are a little dull, but he gives you the slides beforehand, so it's easy to find your place if you fall asleep. Exams are not regurgitation; you have to actually understand the content to do well, which was a lovely change, frankly. Highly recommend. Fascinating stuff, will change the way you think.
Awesome Prof, really interesting class. He seems to know his stuff and makes studying for exams really easy. Very up to date info about the field.
Ralph is a genius in his field, know it very well inside and out. Must admit his class is a bit boring, due to his monotonous voice, but aside from that, he's an amazing prof. Exams are fair, make sure you know the actogram stuffs for midterm. Very interesting material, definitely recommended.
Monotone voice, incredibly boring lectures, he goes off on rants about stuff that doesn't even matter and then tests you on it after. Exams make up your entire grade, but are all multiple choice. I would not recommend taking any course with him, unless you just want to sleep throughout the entire class
You can tell that Ralph is very interested in his field, but he often gets carried away and goes on random tangents. Exam and quiz are pretty hard, to the point where he majorly scales the marks. Wouldn't recommend taking this class if you're hoping for an A. Lots of reading and time needs to be put into this class to get a decent mark!
Do not take this with a heavy semester. You need to listen to the lecture and take notes from there AND study his own lecture notes he posts online. He says that the exams are based on the lecture but if you want a better mark do the readings as well. I ended up with a C- and am planning on taking it again to boost my GPA back up.
exam was all multiple choices. midterm worth 40%, final worth 45%. his ppt and notes were really helpful and and A LOT of details on them. which would be on the exams. interesting class.
Material is not that difficult but so much info..textbook, A LOT of readings and lecture notes and he takes exam questions from all of these sources so you HAVE to read everything and work very hard. His exams are extremely difficult...I would not recommend him...there is too much info and its very overwhelming and he doesn't make it any easier.
He seems like a nice guy and is very clearly interested in the field of sleep but often strays off on tangents and stories. Rarely gets through the scheduled modules set for each class so there's a lot of catchup reading to do at home. The class is non-cumulative and based almost completely on midterm/final marks Interesting subject overall though.
He gets really caught up in tangents. It is hard for him to get through a lecture in a timely manner; nice to see a prof so into their work though.
Easy class. No need to come to lectures, you'll just end up sleeping. Just study off the online lecture notes and you'll be fine.
Boring useless lectures, hard midterm and final. Do not take this class unless you absolutely need it.
He clearly has a passion for the material, but the course was very heavy for a first year course. Lots of readings to do. He goes off on tangents a lot, which makes it hard to pay attention for a whole 3 hours. Midterm was a lot easier than the final, but with the curve of the class, I ended up with an A even though I struggled through the final.
Material isn't too difficult, but the exams are brutal. I received an A with 73% at the end of the course. Don't let that frighten you though. The material is incredibly interesting and applicable to real life, and the man knows his field very, very well. Great lecturer, just a little tough. Would take more courses with him.
This course definitely requires a lot of time and effort. Exams require understanding of the material and not just memorization and regurgitation. Lectures can be a bit dry because Ralph's voice does tend to be quite monotone. I wouldn't recommend this course with a full course load.
This prof is quite inconsistent. While he obviously knows the topic in depth, there is a lack of ability to transfer that knowledge in his lecture. Honestly, he tends to attempt to level the information in a modern way, but completely fails at it. Isn't the most responsive or supportive when you email him too. Good luck
Hard to survive a 3hr lecture with his monotone voice. Lecture slides aren't really helpful either. Memorize the textbook, use the slides as a supplement and you will be fine.
I am a B student and this was my first class after transferring from Douglas. WHAT A MISTAKE!!! No need going to class, just read the text, no participation, no assignments, no papers, just multiple choice exams with a couple fill in the blank. If you need interaction and teaching like I do, then I highly recommend looking elsewhere.
Very monotone,no need to attend lecture barely anyone showed up. Just read the textbook the exam questions are literally from the textbook test bank. He used last years slides, put no effort into the course. I ended up with a B+ but instead of going to lecture I should have just read the textbook over and over because that is what he tests on exams
He was very boring. It was hard to pay attention past the first 15 minutes. He is very knowledgable about the subject but drones on in monotone and his slides are hardly informative. However, if you read the textbook WELL you'll be okay.
Ralph is a very informative guy! But it does get very difficult to sit in his class for 3 hours long. Read the textbook carefully as he tests on details. You can also read his lecture notes and probably the lecture as well. Overall he's an alright professor.
This class was basically memorizing the text or else you wont do well. His lectures were long and boring, with the exception on circadian rhythms which is his area of expertise. I managed an A but worked for it.
Ralph knows a lot about the subject but talks in monotone the ENTIRE time! Easily the hardest lecture I've ever had to sit through. The lectures are pointless too because he only tests on the textbook information. Make sure you read every word in the chapter readings because he tests on the smallest details.
He is not the greatest professor to have this course with. He is in no way consistent throughout all his lectures and sends multiple follow up emails on the mistakes he made towards marking/quizzes/missed information - showing lack of organization. Does not follow the syllabus, as he changes the way things are based on his liking. BIG NO!
Skip class? Won't affect you AT ALL! He is very monotone, like the other reviews say, and tests entirely from the textbook! The 3 hour lectures are very boring and basically summaries of the textbook in a more boring way. Use the online component of the textbook and you'll be fine! A lot to memorize but quizzes and tests are not cumulative!! :D
Honestly, you don't even need to attend his lectures because he makes everything easy for you (detailed notes, audio recordings, the works). It's really clear he's passionate about the topcs though so you will get so much more value for your tuition if you actually attended classes and asked him stuff. Only take if you're interested in the subject.
Tough course. quiz 1 easy, midterm brutal (went into specifics, know your PRC curve and studies), quiz 2 hard, final was just like the midterm. I had a week to study for the final as to why I passed it. He scales but didn't help me get the grade I wanted. Study hard and understand instead of memorizing.
Biopsych courses are not intended to be easy. Ralph is a great lecturer (but lacks energy) and is very knowledgeable about his field. He s a supportive prof, and can break down the concepts pretty well, but this course can be challenging if you ve only taken social psych or are lazy. Read BEFORE class, understand the theory, and ask for help.
Oh man... not a good prof. He knows about sleep (his area), but he "can't exactly remember" a lot of other things. If you are a science student and have taken any bpk courses of the nervous system you will get an A (the material is super basic and easy). He said a few incorrect things in class as well. Try to take it with someone else.
He's a good prof but the lectures are very hard to sit through no matter how hard you try. That being said, Quiz 1, MT 1 and Quiz 2 mainly have 90% questions from the study questions on the textbook website (USE THEM!!). Study lectures for the final! Anyone that has taken any BPK or BIO courses will find this course easy. Tests aren't cumulative.
He's a nice prof but the class is very hard to sit through (3 hrs btw). The lecture slides provided are also not really helpful for the exams, so just read to textbook and you'll do fine. Lots of information and material to remember, basically the whole textbook. This class is more of a BIO class rather than PSYC
I slept through all of his classes; his lecture slides are useless and everything he tests on is from the textbook. There's a lot of info to remember so if you like cramming, this is the course for you! Don't cram for the exams the day right before like I did...
This was definitely one of the hardest classes I've taken. Ralph gets into very, very specific and fine detail and there's lots of lecture readings, which makes it very easy to get the material mixed up. He might have a comprehensive understanding of the course, but doesn't understand how to teach. The class average is around 55%.
Lectures were very long and boring, although I genuinely liked Ralph as a professor. He is great at answering questions and you could tell he is thoroughly interested in the subject. Most students got bad grades in this class, probably because they would leave during the lecture. Overall it was okay.
I understand that COVID-19 has led profs to use technology and resources they dont fully understand, but Ralph was just THE WORST. He sent about 14 emails (that's right, he doesn't use canvas) about our term project, sending revised instructions and just confusing EVERYONE. Seriously, AVOID HIM!!!!! Can't stress this enough. Average is at 55% atm..
As someone else said, sent around 14 emails and posted 10 files for the project (worth 20%) changing it multiple times. I thought it was appropriate to ask what we had to submit (usually this is a given) and he instead replied passive aggressively stating he "edited out the active aggression" and saying "its not complicated". Seriously. Stay. Away.
He was nice, based on the interactions I had with him. The exams are crazy hard though, be prepared to know everything about voles, Syrian hamsters and rats. It had less to do with applying concepts, and more to do with regurgitating experimental results. Only take it if you're taking 1 or 2 classes, no more.
The average for the 1st quiz and midterm was low because the first few modules contained questions that had very specific answers. The 2nd half of the course will be more interesting, and the second quiz and final will be better. There may be a specific question in the first quiz/midterm from the textbook. You won't need the textbook afterwards
This guy is a joke. The class was called "Contemporary Issues in Society", but the entire course has been focusing on sleep (I don't mean people dozing off in the middle of a lecture, though, that happens too). He pretty much changed the entire focus of the course to fit his own interests. He is also very unorganized, loopy, and passive aggressive.
This guy obviously does not care about teaching this class. Incredibly vague expectations. Might be better in a higher-level course. He bait-and-switched us, we thought we were learning about contemporary issues in Psychology but we are only studying sleep and a book written by his advisor. 1/10 would not recommend.
lecture slides are useless tests are based on textbook. he is an extremely unorganized prof, he didn't put out a syllabus until 2.5 weeks in, and the big project that is worth 20% of your grade is the most confusing. He does a poor job of explaining what it is and sends out many emails that just confuse us all. I don't recommend avoid!!!
Ralph is passionate about sleep and not much else, tests are very fair and won't trick you. Don't show up for the lecture, just memorize the textbook. Textbook content is interesting but long/wordy/repeats itself. I found this class very easy, class avg was low likely because people studied the lectures but how can you blame them.
I understand why people are hostile towards Ralph he is a bit unorganized and lectures are boooorring. However, I learnt so much in this course because he is so knowledgeable in his field. People who are complaining probably did not put in the minimal work even needed in this class to do well. Study the textbook and it's an easy A
its a hard class with a lot of reading (giant walls of text), and exams go into extreme detail. while he may be passive-aggressive in emails, he seemed to help me out a lot when I did contact him. class average will be VERY low, but the curve should save you
I feel bad that everyone is mean to Dr. Mistlberger. Idk why everyone is so whiny. I think he is a fair marker and although his quizzes/exams are hard, he gives practice questions so u can still get good marks. This course requires lots of reading, but there is a really cool sleep project where you study yourself. He is v passionate about the topic
Had to write when I saw people defending this course. We expected to learn about Psychological Issues in Society, but instead the entire course is about sleep. Not kidding. The lectures are three hrs long and bored everyone to tears. For the entire semester Ralph's typo said the final project was due a month after it actually was. SO REGRET TAKING
My biggest issue with this class is that it had nothing to do with "contemporary issues in society", it should've just been called "Sleep Psychology" because that is all he ever talked about. He is a very smart professor but my God his lectures are SO dry. The textbook was the only interesting thing about this class.
Ralph was a great guy but this course was solely based on sleep, which was super misleading to the course description when I registered. Lectures were also long and very boring. Make sure you do the practice questions and readings if you want to do well on quizzes and tests, but the lectures are not worth it to attend.
Info heavy lectures
I am currently taking this course online and it is literally insane. You need to know things in complete detail or you will not do well, even on OPEN BOOK QUIZZES. Even those will have you dying because they are timed and go into extreme detail. For reference, I am a straight A student but I will honestly be happy if I just pass this course.
I get fantastic grades and I'm a dedicated to studying - but this class left me feeling hopeless and unmotivated. No matter how much you study - it's never enough. The quizzes and exams are absolutely INSANE. Most terribly organized, unfair, difficult course I've taken (4th year student). Do. Not. Take. It.
Dr. Mistlberger's class was tough, he wasn't the most exciting lecturer and lectures were often relatively heavy and dry. Quizzes and exams were hard, while the sleep assignment gave good grades. Despite all this, I will say that I've never learnt more in a class than I did with Dr. Mistlberger.
This class was probably the most challenging class I have ever taken. The information is INCREDIBLY dense and it's impossible to figure out what's important. we weren't given a textbook, but Professor Mistlberger gave us module readings to study. this seems pretty good at first until you realize that most module readings are 30-40 pages.
This is a tough class. That being said, I thought Ralph was a good, well-humoured and passionate prof, considering material is quite dense. Exams were very hard, but curved. He gives practise questions that are exact questions asked on exam, even then, average was 60%. Cool material overall, but seriously, not a fun class to take during Summer.
While this course was lecture and material heavy, the Professor was a fair grader and brought in a very rounded grading scale. The end of the course was the most interesting to me, but overall there was a lot to learna and while it could be dense I still enjoyed it!
awful. dont take if u dont have to. sorry love u ralph but u need to retire.
Ralph is a kind man who is very passionate and knowledgeable about his field in circadian rhythms. However, that was one of the HARDEST courses I've ever taken (the curve saved my grade). I found the lectures extremely dry and rambley, but he records them luckily. Just REALLY read the modules, watch at 1.5x speed and slowdown/rewatch when confused.
Ralph is a great person and is very knowledgable in his field, however, his lectures are extremely dry and the material is tough to digest. I wouldn't recommend this class unless you absolutely need it, but I will say that I learnt so much and it was rlly nice to see a professor as dedicated to his subject of study as Ralph is to sleep.
Avoid avoid avoid. Ralph is passionate about his studies but the modules are so dense and he expects us to know tiny little details of a field he's been studying for years and years. exams are so confusing in terms of wording you have to pick out 1 word diff in mc qs. best of luck if you take the class with him because you'll definitely need it.
One of the hardest classes I have ever taken. His lectures are long and dense. I found the readings more helpful at times. The project was tedious and difficult. The material is not easy to understand either so prepare to read and rewatch the lectures a lot. Only positives are he gave a study guide and the class was curved. Only take if u need to.
do not take this class, made us use excel for our sleep schedule assignment and I have no experience using excel at all. He did not teach us or show us how to use excel at all nor did he show us how to make a actogram just gave us a confusing instruction sheet, ontop of that he gave us an 8 page essay. do not take
Quizzes and exams are exactly like the study guides. Sleep project is easy if you put in the effort. Don't let the 8 page essay scare you, it's just answering questions about your sleep and it's super easy to write. Ralph is super nice and always answers any questions.
literally avoid. AVOID. Trust me, I took this class because I had no option, but at the point where I might have to withdraw because it is so bad. Ralph is a chill person, but as a prof, he doesn't know how to translate the course content into a digestible form. DO NOT TAKE. SAVE YOURSELF WHILE YOU CAN.
Ralph isn't bad, but the exams are tough and the project is really tedious. He rambles a lot during his lectures and it is overall a very dense course. Don't take it unless it's absolutely necessary or you're interested in the topic.
Dr. Mistlberger was a nightmare to anyone past 2nd year. He rambled for 2.5 hours about nothing during the first lecture, that should have been a sign to drop. He did quizzes at the END of class, on material for PREVIOUS classes. What is the point of teaching an entire class to a group of students who is focused on other material???
RUNNNNNN AS FAST AS YOU CAN!!!! It is the hardest class ever RUNNNNNNNN, if you think you are smart then take it, i thought the same thing too but nopeeee.
Nice guy but the lectures were 3 hours and the content was extremely difficult. Quizzes weren't too bad but the exams were unreal. Your only hope is the sleep project which im not even sure what grade I got yet. But, it takes unbelievably long. Mine was 20 pages, not including graphs & only worth 20% which isn't enough for it to take that long.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
5%
Textbook Required
46%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.90 avg changeRatings by Course
ALLOFTHEM
5.0
(1)PYSC388
3.5
(4)PSY280388
3.0
(2)PYSC106
3.0
(1)PSYC280
2.8
(20)Difficulty by Course
PSYC
5.0
PSYC338
4.3
PSYC388
4.2
BIOPSYCH
4.0
ALLOFTHEM
4.0