2.5
Quality3.7
Difficulty37%
Would Retake106
Reviews37%
Would Retake
106
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
20
4
14
3
12
2
20
1
40
What Students Say
“Hard class barely made an A”
PSYC2301 - 3.0 rating“Took this Psych online in summer and was my WORST mistake”
PSYC2301 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
58%
Textbook Required
57%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.12 avg changeRatings by Course
PSY101
5.0
(1)PYSC2301
4.0
(1)PSY2301
3.1
(11)PSYC2301
2.8
(49)PSYC1301
2.8
(5)Difficulty by Course
PSYCH
5.0
PSYCO2301
5.0
2301
4.5
PSYCH101
4.5
PSYCHOLOGY
4.0
Reviews (106)
All I did in this class was work hard. I was warned not to take this guy because they said he uses his knowledge of psychology to mess with you. I think he is concerned with cheaters so much that everybody else in the class suffers. The quizes we took had little to do with what we studied.
No Comments
Probably the worst professor ever. We would study one thing and then take a test over something completely different. He also seemed to screw with the students because I think he was paranoid about anyone getting over on him. He is a psychology teacher and he can't even see his own paranoia.
i took his class online it was pretty easy but the final was were it struck me
If you have to take a class with a Saenz, make sure it is the other one. This guy would constantly show up late for class. 10-30 minutes late, wasting your time (I kidd you not). Sometimes he'd never even show up to class, no note posted or anything. I took copious notes from his lectures. His test came from very little off that.
No Comments
I totally preferred psychology with Higgins, she goes over the material very well. she gives u study guides and goes over them in class. This dude doesn't!!! He just plain old sucks!!!!
not helpful, always late to class, and tests were very hard. mumbles alot, if you get him for a class, change or drop quickly! was a complete waste of time and money.
I took Sanez online first, it was so horrable! I decided to take his class to see if I could do any better, I passed the class with an "A" but that was because I studied my butt off from the BOOK not from his lectures... What he lectures on and what is in the book are 2 different things! STUDY THE BOOK!
He is easy to talk to and nice. The class was not very hard at all.
this professor truely should not be teaching all the bad comments on here are true and the people who find him easy are those who just learn from a textbook what he lectures on has nothing 2 do with the subject hes always talking about technology anyone who reads this i advise u not 2 take his class im a honor roll student and i dont understand him
very helpful
I had to take this class online and unless you absolutely have to have this class and the only way to finish it in time is to take it online, then I recommend trying to take it with someone else or at another school! He is the least helpful person in the entire college!
He's late for his own class all the time. His tests are like WTF?! Lectures on stuff that seemingly has no bearing on his tests. Wish I would have picked another prof for this class........ =( Not happy at all and I can't wait to finish this semester.
His class is easy, he is always a few minutes late, which is cool. he understands if you dont show to class for a good reason. i stopped bring my book to class, and i use the 3 column key points on his web page to study, which is exactly on his test. he doesnt explain his book report or the articles well and doesnt explain what he wants exactly
this teacher does not help u on anything. i had trouble in his class. he does not teach what is on the test. do not take him
I took the class online during Maymester. Basically you have to read every chapter to get an A. His tests are the most random questions from the book with extreme details
He rambles on about randomness during class. Never teaches anything. You have to read to pass! He gives chapter reviews but they are always like 10 pages long and he gives them the day or 2 days before the test. Is late every day but is crazy mad if you need to leave early. doesnt explain any assignment well. I do not recommend this professor
I took the online class and it was a bit of a challenge but all online classes are like that. its best to do the online test to help prior to an exam, and make notes over what you read and from the online tests.
shows no interest towards class whatsoever.
A very understanding and kind teacher if you talk to him. Very intelligent.
I dont understand the other comments on here, if you actually try in the class and read what you are supposed to you will do well. Professor Saenz is a good, kind hearted teacher. I would take a course from him again.
he doesn't clarify more please p students more please, explain more please, please be more sincere please take it easy please, make students loe psychology please
I took this class online and in the summer which was probably what affected my grade. But he is rude and makes you feel dumb if you ask/email him questions on assignments. Must read the chapters and grasp detail concepts from it. I earned a B, but barely. & didnt find it interesting
Professor Saenz introduced me to Psychology in 1990. His influence launched a serious, rewarding, and (so far), 22-year career as a psychiatric RN. His enthusism, as he introduced my class, to psych, has stayed with me, and guided my career choices, as well as my life choices. I credit Prof R.Saenz as a profound influence, and mentor.
I loved his class, although I was not interested during the first chapter of lectures, I came out of that class questioning my major, I was really looking into becomes a psychology major. He is great, and gets you interested in his lectures, especially if you love learning about the mind and all.
I advise you not to take his class if you want a professor who actually cares and wants you to understand about psychology. This one will chew your head off if you ask one question. He is very rude. If you do take his course then your text book will be your best friend because he won't explain anything to you.
Probably since its a summer its more difficult. He lectures and the test are from the study guide chapter outlines. Be ready to write papers tho, in no writer but I still wrote. He is overall okay.
First of all he is late everyday to his own class. Secondly he is nothing but a bitter old man who is rude and angry all the time. He makes students fell stupid, when we are the ones paying him he should be happy there are still students in his class at the end of the semester. I would NOT recommend him!
Prof Saenz is a great teacher 85 percent form chapter outline 15 textbook Recommend working on book report and not procrastinate Also clear about grading criteria Just follow the syllabus and you should be fine also dates are there for everything Kind enough to give you a paper on how to study
I am taking his online class. Be ready to spend most of your time finding and summarizing articles (which he will not grade till the end of the course, so you learn nothing, and have no idea How he grades) choosing an autobiography and writing a 7 page, single spaced book report. oh and on a side note, teach yourself psychology because there are no lectures, just the dates your exams are due.
I basically taught myself in this class, you take 5 exams with the lowest one being dropped. So make sure to read the chapters because his lectures are not very helpful. In addition, you do 20 articles that don't teach you anything. Finally, a single spaced, 7 page book report over "whoever you would like to learn more about."
Really enjoyed Professor Saenz's class! Made me consider being a psych major. He is very knowledgeable on the subject. You can tell he has had years of experience working in the field. Provides a lot of resources for studying. Use these to get a good grade.
Horrible. You teach yourself. Don't think you'll be able to ask him any questions because he will tell you to research and figure out on your own. You have two critical analyses of articles due each week that have nothing to do with what you're learning. Also there is a seven page single spaced book report due that has nothing to do with psychology
Saenz grades heavy on some of the criteria he hands out. The test are pretty hard If you don't read the outlines or anything. He's always late to class, and when he grades paper he takes forever to hand them back. He doesn't tell you your grade average in the class. It's just an overall difficult class to take. I do not prefer anyone taking him.
5 Exams(lowest dropped) they are hard need to memorize all the extra boxes in the chapters. 20 PSYC news articles must be turned into a clean version of a web based doc and summarized. 7 page single spaced biography on any person typed into a web document that does not allow you to make margins like a classic word doc. Hard class barely made an A
Took this Psych online in summer and was my WORST mistake! We had to learn a new program only to make his grading easier for him. He doesn't grade anything on time, so I didn't know my average. I had emailed him asking for help on how to use Kompozer. He didn't respond until 5 DAYS LATER at 1:45am and then told me to "ask a friend for help."
Professor Saenz is a good teacher- knowledgeable. Clearly states requirements for assignments- follow these and don't procrastinate and you will do well. I enjoyed this class and want to take more psych courses.
I'm surprised at his rating. I found his class education and he is very knowledgeable. He states whats due and even gives you outlines to review for each exam. I enjoyed his class.
This was my first college class ever, and I was so nervous. I love this class with this professor. He's very easy going. Just do your work and you'll pass. If you love when teachers are to the point and organized, then he is the one for you!
I would NOT advise anyone to take his online class. You have 2 articles a week to submit with your own critical analysis. He doesnt grade any until end of semester. His test also include info on little boxes in the Ch. His outline doesnt help much at all. Rude & doesnt respond to emails for 3+ days. Dont bother asking him to explain anything.
He was fine. His criteria for the book report and the articles was super strange. Got an 80 on both my book report and the articles for reasons I do not understand. If you download WPS Writer it'll convert your documents to HTML format. His way is too complicated. His tests weigh a lot. Still made an A in the course regardless of the report.
Was a reasonable amount of work. You do have to work and study, but if you follow the instructions and put in the effort will do well. Isn't a blow off class. I enjoyed it.
DO not recommend. Doesn't respond to email and his assignments and syllabus are extremely vague. The entire class is messaging about how confused we all are and the fact he isn't responding to anyone . I with he had more sympathy to realize he isnt helping much by not responding to anyone and forcing everyone to wing it.
Although at times his assignments and syllabus might seem a bit too vague to understand, he seems to grade fairly. I think he wants to see how well we can do with some independence. He is strict but still a human being who cares for his students. If one has no experience with computers I do NOT recommend his online class.
Really learned a lot in his class. I am glad I took it and want to become a psych major. Would recommend. Make sure to follow instructions (like formatting instructions) on written assignments.
took this class online and I have to say he was the worst prof I've ever had. don't expect to get any grades back until the end of the semester (I kid you not). he will not explain why you got the grades you did so don't even bother asking. his whole syllabus is extremely vague and you are pretty much winging it the whole semester.
His syllabus is very vague as far as the reading assignments go. The tests are not too difficult. However, the 20 article analysis and book report format is ridiculous! This was my first time using a Html editor and it was rather confusing and he refuses to help ! Instead of grading On the content of the work he grades on format.
This man is certainly an expert in his field, however, the grading criteria he uses for his two major assignments ( a book report, and a 20 aricle critical analysis) is unknown to mankind. I enjoyed listeningt to his lectures, but you will definately have to read the book and use his study guides to prepare for the tests (which he usually curves).
Sets clear firm guidelines for assignments, strict about us reading and following them exactly. I liked that didn't have to guess about what to do, just had to follow instructions. Is obvious he knows a ton about Psychology. Interesting lectures as a result. Learned a lot and liked the course.
He grades my work late and does it last minute
I cant speak of his campus class, however his online class is atrocious. He does not upload any lectures so get ready to have your nose in the textbook. He has you do several writing assignments however, he will not grade them until the VERY LAST MOMENT possible. You will have no idea where you stand. He's also extremely condescending to students.
He grades assignments last minute and his text are more difficult way more beyond from the textbook itself. I recommend not taking his class. I didnt really learn anything from him.
He is AWEFUL and SUPER RUDE when trying to reach out to him. Classes hadn't even started and he was suggesting we drop his class if we were not ot tech savy or if we had a MAC he suggest we retunr it. I WOULD NOT TAKE HIS CLASS EVER AGAIN. I had to drop his class within day 4!!!! He is EXTREMLY rude and makes you feel stupid when you as for help.
First, he requires you to use an html converter. If you don't know how to use it and ask him for help, he will literally tell you to just inquire the help section of the converter and no other guidance. He is not interactive, so you only learn from the book. I would *not* take his course, if you know what's good for you.
Be sure to email him any and all questions, just to have a paper trail. I asked him for clarity on our 10 assignments and he only credited me for one and I followed his instructions to a tee. It is really hard to get a decent grade when the professor is not interactive with the class. The book can only teach us so much.
For the online portion, you are assigned ten assignments. However, he will not grade those assignments until the very last second. Even then, it is not guaranteed he will credit you for all ten of those assignments. Your current grade depends on your tests, so you really have no idea how well you're doing until the very end.
Lectures were more of him telling stories and he really just focused on one thing. Although he was really nice, I wouldn't take him again. Super soft spoken, so recommend sitting in the front. Gave a lot of tests, but that just gave you an opportunity to make a higher grade. Gave us extra credit points on all our tests because majority failed.
This professor will not explain how he graded your assignments. He does not respond to emails in a prompt manner, usually when he does it is then too late especially if it is in regard to a assignment and dont want to receive a late penalty. Your are pretty much on your own if your taking this class online.
Do not take his class ever especially if you are taking it online. He will not grade your work on time, he also grades based off of your formatting and not the content of your work. When you email him asking for help he will be rude and not helpful at all. His canvas is horribly organized and difficult to find anything. Never take this class again.
I can only speak on behalf of his online class. Instructions were confusing and asking for help, didn't help. You have 10 article assignments to complete, which he won't grade until the literal end of the semester. His tests are based on the textbook so its plenty of reading. Wouldn't take his class again!!!
Respectively, DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS. The professor is VERY unresponsive, doesnt grade work in a timely manner, and makes you solely dependent on reading the book in order to learn and pass the class. The work itself is not difficult but he does not grade fairly and does not explain himself. He is a nice man, but I dont recommend taking his class
Follow all instructions exactly, including formatting instructions, and study and should do well. I enjoyed his lectures. They had a positive impact on the way I view life. Is kind.
There were two (major) assignments; an article folder (10) and 6-page paper (Times New Roman, single font) and a few exams. Studying is critical to pass the course. Poor communication, and his grading system is mediocre. For example, if 5 points were docked off each article assignment (10), that's 50 points lost automatically. Would not take again
I took him online. Absolute worst professor I have ever had! I emailed him multiple times with questions and the only response I would ever get from him was refer back to the syllabus(and the syllabus was extremely vague) He didnt even do 1 minute of teaching the entire semester, everything is self-taught. And his greeting is outrageous.
I enjoyed the lecture recordings. Most of my other profs did not actually teach us with classes moved online because of COVID. I appreciate Profesor Saenz for putting in the extra work to continue to teach us despite the difficult circumstances. The lectures were interesting, helped me learn the course content and about life in general.
Never before have I had a professor ask for not only a 6 page writing assignment, but it also needs to be single spaced. This teacher also constantly gives exams(her course however only lasts 2 weeks for some reason). Each exam requires an inhuman amount of reading to study for. I'm 20, I have many many responsibilities including my company.
a lot of reading, will only pass if you read given chapters. test are hard. make sure you know how to use html converter. and dont forget about the six page single spaced essay :) doesnt really grade on content, grades more on format.
I really enjoyed his lectures. Knows A LOT about psychology. Provides helpful study guides. Follow instructions exactly for assignments.
The class has an exam generally over two chapters each Monday and two articles on Friday. Read a book for general knowledge on quizzes. Use class practice quizzes and look to Quizlet for related questions. The paper is on an autobiography. Follow exactly. If you mess up the spacing, it will hit your grade hard. Curved the paper.
Do not take him online unless youre ready to read the whole text book by yourself. He did provide outlines of the chapters and provided practice test with only 4 tries with no grade against you, but you have to be passionate about his class to teach yourself online.
I enjoyed his lectures, learned a lot about life and why people are the way they are. I think information will help me in real life. I thought exams were manageable..attended lectures, read textbook, reviewed outlines. Important to follow instructions on assignments.
Hard grader barely responds and if he does its 1Am DOESNT do lectures you got to teach yourself and read the whole text book he grades all your papers the week of the final told me I didnt do the right BR template when I followed his do not recommend taking him online never met him in person
The WORST online professor at Del Mar... He assigns every written assignment at the beginning of the semester so he can "have time to grade". An intro to psychology class should not be this hard! He grades extensively on written assignments to the point that it's completely unnecessary. Take any other professor besides him!
This professor went on inappropriate tangents throughout class and made me very uncomfortable. He also didn't have a course on Canvas, which made things very difficult. But that was bearable. He constantly compared homosexuality to pedophilia and it made me feel sick. A lot of his political tangents made me not want to go back to class.
Hes a nice guy but I would not take another class with him again. He gives you your grades back that youve only made on the test but does not average your own grade out overall in the class. Its kind of hard to have you understand where you are coming from as well.
Was kind. Knows a lot about psychology. Quick to give us exam grades back which were worth majority of grade. Dropped lowest exam grade & curved the exam grades. Took the time to type us up a sheet with all our grades and how they were weighed. Not just a show up get your A class. Have to learn the content. 2 writing assignments worth 12% of grade.
Took summer course, I thought it was a good class. Attended lectures and read the text. He gave us outlines that were helpful. 5 exams (dropped lowest which helped) and a final. Couple writing assignments, weren't bad, aren't worth that much of your grade. Professor was kind. Thought grading was fair.
I think he's cool. I think psychology is super interesting and he knows a lot. Not a lot of busy work, which I appreciate. Study guides are helpful and I read the textbook and show up to class and takes notes. So far so good.
Very memory based, I did not feel like I actually applied what I learned. Just read and do your assignments. The study guides are nice and they are responsive.
He was super sweet. He gives you 2 weeks to study the 2 chapters per test. He also gives an outline for each chapter. As long as you study the outline to heart, you will get an A on his tests. There is one book report and 10 news articles, which he gives you time to complete. He also drops you lowest test grade. I would definitely recommend!
idc that i have to read as this is an online class. What makes me the most angry is he assigns stuff at the start of the semester and then half way through stops because he's reading book reports. You have to start referring to his schedule. He never answers. Told me I had the wrong book the day the book report was due. Horrible is al I can say.
Very nice Professor! so kind and caring! 3 or 4 students from another class accidentally missed their final.. He let them take it! Wants you to succeed, expects you to write your assignments (book report) and articles review. Show up to class and read the study guides he gives. Study!! Nice that he curbs the grades to help you.
If you like homophobic rants and transphobic rants mixed with the looming question of "How The ****** did he keep a liscence?" this is your guy! Dude cares more about religion and using outdated or incorrect or incomplete info rather than actually doing his **** job. He is always late to his own class.
another student said this class was very memory-based, and they were correct. He gives study guides at the end of each chapter which are extremely helpful, but the lectures are hard to follow. his handwriting is terrible, so I wasn't able to understand much that was written on the board. there is also a 6-page, single-spaced book report you will do
He's a nice guy but a bad professor. Attendance is required but the lectures don't cover what you need to know on the test. I taught myself more through YouTube videos than I did with lecture notes. You don't know your book report and article grade until the end of the semester. DO NOT RECOMMEND if you want to actually learn/ apply anything.
I would not recommend Saenz for lifespan growth and development. He does not teach, he gives no feedback, his exam questions do not line up with the material. I am a straight A student and I had a hard time with this class because he does not teach. The information itself is easy, but his questions have nothing to do with what he has you read.
I enjoyed the class and found the content manageable. Read the textbook and reviewed his study guides. Lectures were interesting. He explained things in a way I could understand. Is important to read the textbook though as well. Spent a good amount of time studying for exams.
Do not take his class if you cannot seriously commit to studying throughout the semester, boring lectures and goes on so many tangents that you lose track of what to take notes on, graded by 7 things, do not take him. If you can, do not especially if you will have a lot on your plate, a good last resort but other than that just don't take him.
WORST professor I've had. DO NOT TAKE HIM SAVE URSELF. Does not teach at all or respond to emails. Exams DO NOT include any reviews. Does not care at all whatsoever. Whatever you do... DO NOT TAKE HIM YOU WILL REGRET IT. TRULY HAS RUINED MY MENTAL HEALTH. I think I'm relapsing
Doesn't grade till the last week of school. Doesn't even read the book reports.... grades very poorly. Don't take him worst prof i've had.
DO NOT TAKE his canvas page is from 1997 - his course has not been updated since before I was born he doesn't teach anything! the entire class is reading the textbook on your own and taking lockdown browser exams i am infuriated that im spending a couple hundred dollars to read a $30 textbook and teach myself the material on my own. should be fired
Horrible professor, not sure why he isn't retired yet. Read the reviews and know the bad one's are very truthful. Spend your lecture time reading the textbook and taking notes on your own because his lectures will get you nowhere and his handwriting is even worse. Not to mention his rudeness, its difficult to hear him even when sitting in the front
I thought he was kind & knowledgeable. I liked his lectures and learned a lot but also read the textbook and followed the study guides to prepare for exams. Exams made up the majority of the grade. Follow instructions closely for written assignments (ex. format!) but also those assignments aren't worth as much so don't stress too much about them
I took this course online, probably a mistake! If you're going to take this course I'd drop it if you aren't prone to reading hundreds of pages out of a textbook in the first week or aren't test prone. Lockdown browser required, 50+ question timed tests, book report, no extra credit. If you're planning on taking this class, good luck!
There were technical issues with canvas no material was up until the 2nd day. Questions were missing from exams.The 1st time it happened he refused to fix the problem forcing a 0.Didn't fix it until HOSD told him too. You got material&had to teach yourself, emails weren't answered. Lack of communication&tech problems lost my trust for the educator.
I took this class online, which was a mistake. The only assignments this professor gives are exams, a book report, and the final. He does no teaching, so you must learn all the materials yourself. The tests are usually 50 questions and require lockdown + webcam. A good thing is that he accepts late work, but every day it loses points.
This professor was awful. Never taught me anything/no lectures online. Tests are hard/require lots of attention to detail in the readings. Had a random book report and not sure why? My final average was a 69.4 and he did not care to round it up to a 70 after emailing him. I understood but did try my best on exams and found he just didn't care.
I did well in the course and learned a good amount. I read the textbook, studied the guides we were given, and studied a lot for the exams. It was a traditional online class, which works for me. I read the text and took the tests. The written assignment was not challenging. STUDY FOR THE TESTS. They are worth a lot.
honestly terrible… didn't reach out a single time, only had quizzes and tests. dropped the class asap everything had to be done on lockdown browser and there weren't ever any lectures posted
I have enjoyed the course, but I am taking it in person. I like the lectures and professor is kind.
It's hard to rate Mr. Saenz based on my experience as he was very hands-off in this (online) class, so 2.5/5. If you don't mind learning on your own with the textbook, this isn't a big problem. The class was very simple, but also pretty difficult, as there are very few grades and the tests cover A LOT of information.
lots of crammed info
Took this class as a summer course and there is a good amount of reading you need to do if you want to pass the weekly test. There is also a 6-page book report that you need to do; however, you have plenty of time to complete it. As a person who prefers in-person professors, this class was a little difficult for me since I had to teach myself.
Professor Saenz is a tough but fair grader. I took him for Lifespan Growth and Development in Summer II. Tests were challenging, but reading the textbook helped. He gives helpful feedback. Follow essay instructions exactly—he deducts points for missing details. This isn't a class you can breeze through, you'll need to put in the effort to succeed.
Was kind to me and helpful. Must read textbook and learn.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
58%
Textbook Required
57%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.12 avg changeRatings by Course
PSY101
5.0
(1)PYSC2301
4.0
(1)PSY2301
3.1
(11)PSYC2301
2.8
(49)PSYC1301
2.8
(5)Difficulty by Course
PSYCH
5.0
PSYCO2301
5.0
2301
4.5
PSYCH101
4.5
PSYCHOLOGY
4.0