2.6
Quality3.7
Difficulty41%
Would Retake94
Reviews41%
Would Retake
94
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
13
4
16
3
18
2
23
1
24
What Students Say
“He's such a sweetheart and an amazing person, but sometimes his lectures seem disorganized or don't make sense, and he recycles everything from previous years so sometimes his tests/homeworks/labs don't reflect what we're actually learning in class”
PSY216 - 3.0 rating“Nice guy, really bad professor”
PSY215 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
48%
Textbook Required
19%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.27 avg changeRatings by Course
PSY566
5.0
(2)MULTIPLECLASSES
4.0
(1)314
3.5
(2)PSY216
2.7
(33)PSY314
2.6
(17)Difficulty by Course
PSYCH215
5.0
PSY314
3.9
PSY216
3.8
PSY215
3.7
216
3.6
Reviews (94)
This class was supposed to be really easy and is required for psych majors, he made the tests really hard and the class average took a dive. he does curve the tests i think. speaks monotone. his class doable but not enjoyable at all. labs are essential to understand
The material in experimental psychology is not particularly hard. Arthur is very clear and his lectures are interesting, but his tests are near impossible. Lab is mandatory, but lecture is not. Thankfully 33 percent of your grade comes from lab, because it is fairly easy. Like I said though, his tests are IMPOSSIBLY HARD!
Tests are pretty hard. Good guy, tough prof.
This class was an unorganized mess. This is easily the worst class I have ever taken in college.His monotone presentation is so bereft of pedagogical talent it is almost disgraceful. The tests are so hard as to almost be borderline trick questions.Get a grip man, we know you think you are incredibly important,but its a 200 level class!! AVOID!!
I went into this class really excited and wanting to do well. Needless to say now I will never take a class that is taught by him again. He tries to be a nice guy, but honestly has to think it's comical to make his exams close to impossible. He could care less about his students..you have to become best friends with your TA
Knows the material but has no idea how to teach it. Horrible at explaining things and loves to put tricky questions on test. Doesnt seem to care about his students, he'll ask the class for an answer and no one know the answers and he just moves on. One of the worst professors I have had yet.
Really smart guy, but a really horrible teacher. He was not clear at explaining anything even if you asked for specifics. Tests are ridiculously hard and it seemed like he loved using trick questions.
This is the worst lecture I've ever attended. It is completely unhelpful and he is very unclear on the material. I benefit more from the lab than anything in the actual lecture. The tests are incredibly difficult. Avoid this professor.
I'm guessing the past commentators just didn't expect to do work in college. I have a 4.0 for this guy, after Stats, research methods, etc. If you're not lazy the classes are fine. Effort is the biggest factor. You must take the time to really learn it. These commentators are making external attributions, when they should be making internal ones.
I've had Dr.Arthur twice now. Dropped the class the first time and tried at all cost to avoid taking him again and unfortunately was unable to. His lectures are hardly lectures..tries to do discussions and they don't work. All of his test questions are trick questions and don't reflect lecture material AT ALL. VERY monotone. AVOID HIM
Dr. Arthur is a good professor but it seems like he is still getting adjusted to teaching. He is anew professor at UK and I took him for his first class here. It was a little difficult to understand sometimes and he is not always clear about things. But he is available a lot to help outside of class and very approachable. Exams aren't the easiest.
I'm in his class right now, and although he seems like a great guy, he's not the best teacher for me. I struggle with the material, and he doesn't lecture in class at all. We solely do group work. I just wish he would go over material more in depth so the other students and I who struggle with Stats wouldn't be so clueless. He's a nice guy, though.
Dr. Arthur's class is a bit challenging, but definitely doable. He uses a team-based learning approach, which has helped contribute more to knowledge as an individual. He is helpful with the questions that students ask, and tries to make the subject more understandable. Attend all labs, classes, try your best, and study well to earn a good grade.
I would always avoid taking a class of his if possible. He is a nice guy, but can't communicate to save his life. He also makes up questions ON TESTS to throw you off so you WILL get it wrong. Never met a teacher that tries to fail people... But he enjoys it! Worst professor I've ever had, although I enjoy speaking with him! Do NOT take him.
I can't believe some of the reviews here. I attended every class, every lab, barely watched lecture videos, yet still got an A at the end of the semester. He has a good personality, too, and 216 is required for psych majors. It seems as if some students need to look within themselves more, and not blame the professor for their own poor performance.
I took this last semester. I went to class most of the time and listened to his online lectures and didn't really need to study because he covered it well. The class is very team and group based and he sometimes tried to be tricky on exams but overall I thought he was a good professor.
We had to watch lectures that he had video taped over a year ago, yet he changed the tests around. The material was too much for each test, and I could never get ahold of him for help or explanations on anything.
Try to avoid him, i am an A/B average student and i studied my butt off for the past 3 exams and received all C's, the majority of your points come from the tests. his boring lect's only cover half of whats on the test so be prepared to study from your book A LOT! tricky test Q's. nice guy, bad teach. Cute in nerdy way. Hardest ive had in UK PSY.
Nice guy, really bad professor. His tests do not represent the material covered in lecture. He ended up curving the grades after the final because everyone did poorly. The average on exams was a 64, if that tells you anything. Avoid him if you can, I would not recommend him to anyone, he's just not cut out to teach. He's very research focused.
Tests have tricky q's, the short answers are impossible to get full credit on. Nice guy, helpful. Seems he is more research and statistics oriented in his teaching method. Got C's on all the tests but still got an A in the class because of how grades were weighted. Not a bad class, he gives extra credit. Lect's are vague, textbook is a must.
He doesn't answer questions, doesn't teach and the tests are very hard
He's not that bad, but don't expect to pass by just attending lectures. The textbook will be your best friend. Some of the questions on the test are extremely ambiguous, but the class is manageable if you work for it.
One of the worst teachers I've ever had. Even when you ask questions in class he will never give you a direct answer. He is also confused on what he teaches. You will learn one thing in class and the opposite in lab. Your TA will be your best friend. Attend her office hours and ask questions in lab if you want to pass.
Kind of surprised by other comments on here. I've had Arthur and Archer (216 and 313) both at UK and would much prefer Arthur. He's more laid back and will curve. I got B's on all the exams, an A in lab and got an A in the class. Attending lectures isn't mandatory (like Archer) but he randomly does have participation points offered in class
He goes pretty quickly in lecture and sometimes copying notes from the slides can be difficult. His tests are pretty hard but after the first one you kind of get the hang of his test set ups. Going to class is important even though its not required. Lab is very easy and you'll get an A if you do the assignments and follow all directions to them.
Meh, he's alright.
So far the hardest class I have taken in college. He struggles with getting students attention and it is very hard to understand what he is talking about. I emailed him on several occassions with concern of my grade and never got a reply back. Once he finally replied, he missed the appointment we were supposed to have.
Dr Arthur has you watch lectures outside of class so that you come to class prepared and with knowledge of the material. In class you work in groups practicing the material you learned. It takes a bit to get used to, but being able to learn at home when you want is nice. Lab will clear up any questions you have.
Dr Arthur is a great guy. Just come to class for every lecture, pay attention, and take notes and you'll do fine. We wrote some short papers to connect the material to our lives, as well as some online discussions and I believe 3 tests. His tests are generally about 24-30 questions, along with 4 short answers. You don't need the text book.
I thought that he was very nice, but the class was very difficult. I would advise to NOT skip any classes and to find someone in the class that you can work with outside of class in case you fall behind. The tests are tough and half the tests are short answer so be prepared to have to memorize a lot of formulas.
Ive had Dr. Arthur for two semesters and although he is tough, I really respect him. He is a very smart person. Classes are tough but stick with it! He is very very kind and go see him if you need help! Keep up on work and STUDY, and you will pass!
He's tough but i love him as a person. At first didn't like him in psych 215 (lectures weren't clear) but I got him figured out in psych 216 and im enthused now to have him in 314 now. Be willing to do a little work yourself and you'll be fine. Great guy
Tests were extremely hard, lectures were very unclear (very messy and unorganied), need your textbook to learn anything.
Gives you a huge study guide and then tests you on things that are no where on the study guide. When anyone answers a question he makes you feel quite dumb. Had to take him for 3 semesters, would no recommend him at all.
You don't even have to take notes in his class. I didn't take a single note all semester and studied from the book and taught it to myself and I got 85 and higher on all my exams. The information is easy, there is just a lot of it.
I really liked him as a person and you can tell he knows what he's talking about. Expect to take notes. Pay attention to his powerpoints and take good notes and you should do decent on the tests. I made the mistake of not paying attention and it cost me. Overall nice man and good professor!
I've heard he's a genius in PSY216, but 215 is a different story. The class isn't difficult by any means, but if you only use his lectures as study material, you won't pass the exams. He likes to give very long and drawn out examples which have only served to confuse most people that I have talked to. Just read the book and you should pass.
Changed my major because of this class. I do not think the class would have been so hard if Dr. Arthur would have slowed down and been more clear in his teachings. Also, he grades the tests extremely hard.
He was very confusing on presenting material in class. He never followed his outlines that he made, so it was hard to take notes and follow along in class. He didnt answer questions in class, and made it very dreadful to attend the class. . He takes 3-4 weeks to grade multiple choice grades. He also never finishes a set of notes before we move
One of the worst teachers Ive ever had. He makes the lectures pretty hard to understand and his "topics you should know for the exam" make you even more confused about the notes he gave in class.
Dr. Arthur is one of the worst professors on this campus. He is very passionate about what he teaches, but he does not know how to teach the material to the whole class. He confuses people during lectures, and tests are extremely difficult. Made me not want to major in psych anymore after this class. STAY AWAY
Very smart man but has no idea how to explain the subject matter in a way students can understand it.
Extremely hard grader, that although is very knowledgeable is a horrible teacher. Open response questions on test are impossible.
He is very personable and approachable if you do not understand a concept. His lectures are interesting. It gets a little homework heavy and the tests are challenging but he gives more than enough opportunities for extra credit. If you come to class and pay attention you will ultimately be fine.
Horrible teacher. Lectures make zero sense and do not help but you have to attend them. In the lab there were a lot of group papers that were graded very hard. Tests were nearly impossible
He makes the lectures really interesting. Attendance isn't mandatory, but there are occasionally review quizzes worth a few points. You do have to study for the exams but he gives review sheets that list everything you need to know. He encourages class participation too. My only problem is he lets student ramble on too much. Loved the class!
He is one of my favorite professors. If you pay attention and put forth effort you will do well. He gives study guides for all exams. His tests aren't word for word from the study guide, but there aren't any surprises. He tries to make his lectures interesting. He is very approachable and pretty funny.
The tests were very difficult. Half the exam is short answer and the other half is multiple choice. He doesn't grade in a timely manner which can be infuriating. Lectures are not helpful when it comes to exam time because the exam questions are all about application and the lectures are just general summations.
Dr. Arthur is a great person but multiple choice questions on exams are extremely difficult. Most questions are application based yet very, very hard. The exams are difficult even after studying well. Class participation matters greatly in this course.
Okay so, attendance is not technically mandatory, but if you don't go, you'll miss participation quizzes and you'll probs fail. He's a very nice person, not the best teacher, even harder to get in touch with. It took me three attempts to actually get to him outside of class. He's very awkward. His tests are SO hard. Pick a different professor.
Arthur is by far the worst professor I have ever had. He lost my tests, gives unclear grading criteria, and makes it almost impossible to get an A. I have never received a B in a course throughout college, and I have a C in his.
Not good at explaining things and has very difficult exams the short answer portion will destroy your grade no matter how well you do on the multiple choice. Also go to class because he will give you bonus points/ take off points on the participation questions based on if you actually go to class or not. Great guy just not a great professor.
His lectures are awful and do not help. He does not teach, he just reads his slides which make his tests impossible.
HE GIVES REALLY HARD TESTS TAKE SOMEONE ELSE
He's such a sweetheart and an amazing person, but sometimes his lectures seem disorganized or don't make sense, and he recycles everything from previous years so sometimes his tests/homeworks/labs don't reflect what we're actually learning in class. GO TO LAB, no way in hell I would have passed the class without it.
Really nice and funny, but if you miss a single class, you will be behind.
When deciding who to take for this course, I looked on this site and was concerned about my options. I ended up taking Dr. Arthur, expecting his class to be a drag due to the reviews on here. I don't know which Dr. Arthur you all are taking , but for me his lectures were clear, he was so helpful and understanding when it came to answering ?s, etc
Hes a great guy! Just his exams are worded so weird and difficult to understand
I was nervous to take his class because of these reviews, but he really was totally fine--good even! If you're not good at math, the class will probably be a challenge, and I recommend going to office hours. Also: do go to class. A lot of people didn't go and struggled. The grade is based mostly on tests, homework, lab, and random tophat questions.
Very kind and knowledgeable about the content. Inquizitive assignments make it easy to keep your grade up if you aren't the best test taker.
This class is lecture heavy, but he is amazing at explaining and really wants you to understand. Lab is important and helps with class material a lot. Would definitely take him again.
hardest exams in the department. take someone else.
I've heard that he's better for 215 but 100% do not take him for 216 its the hardest psych class you'll have to take and his exams are worded in a way designed to trip you up. do yourself a favor and take anyone but him for that class.
I wish I would've read these reviews before signing up for the class
Not really a bad class. Dr. Arthur is a nice guy, easy to approach. I suck at math and I was able to still get a B in the class. Going to lab is the most important thing for this class. Make sure you go to lab and always ask for help if you dont understand something
He is the kind of guy you want on your bar trivia night, but not the kind of guy you want teaching you about experimental psychology. he is a really cool guy but his work isn't a priority to him and it is pretty obvious. the labs are confusing and there is not enough communication between him and the TAs. Not terrible but not great either
I love him for PSY 311. I also had him for PSY 216 and he wasnt the best for stats, but he specializes in social psychology and it SHOWS. His class is super fun, you really get to understand the social aspect of psychology. His grading criteria is super clear. Attendance isnt required but there are participation quizzes. 10/10 would reccomend
Lectures are interesting but he reads off powerpoints. Attebd, even though it isnt mandatory because he gives participation quizzes all semester. They only loosely relate to the course & I assume are for his own curiosity. Dont even consider emailing him, he wont answer. He takes forever to grade and loses tests. Exams are all application.
Participation quizzes, beware. The exams are impossible, and worded to trip you up. His lectures wont help. Use your textbook to understand material. He has 600 unread emails. Seriously, just take someone else!
This class was pretty easy. He tells you you need the textbook but I did not use it once. The homeworks are very helpful, I used those to study. Sometimes lectures were boring and since it was not mandatory to attend, skipping was too easy.
I took PSY314 online this summer. The class itself has interesting material but avoid this professor if you care about GPA. I was on track to get an A in the class until Prof Arthur did not put grades in correctly, ignored my emails, and went ahead with final grades anyway (I was less than 1/4 a point away from an A). Not a caring professor.
Arthur is one of the worst professors I have ever had. He never responds to emails, which is extremely important especially when the class is fully online. He uploaded pre recorded lectures from 2017 and 2018 so the material was horribly outdated and did not match up with his exams. I would not recommend him for any class.
One of those professors where you just tune out the second he starts talking. 4 exams and weekly homework. Required about $150 for online textbook and packback, which didn't really help with course material. Take another prof if you can. Also you HAVE to go to lab or you will fail.
I enjoyed this course! It focuses on studying conspiracy theories from a psychologists perspective. I loved Dr. Arthur as an instructor, he was very kind and he contributed greatly to my success in this course! We read many research articles and discussed them in class. Class discussions made the assignments relatively simple.
I know all the other ratings say not to take him, but seriously... do not. He will explain the simplest things in the most scholarly way to where it just makes no sense. Inquizitives are the only thing that taught me.
He does not break anything down into understandable terms. I've always been a student who's struggled with math and things, and this was another level... I felt like i was drowning the entire course. He doesn't answer emails hardly at all. The tests were incredibly hard and the class mean score for each one was near a 60. TAKE WITH CAUTION
Please listen to everybody on here saying to not take him! His class is the hardest class I have ever had to take. The tests are insane and usually have an average grade of an F for the entire class. He does not know how to explain things so that they make sense, and does not offer any extra credit. Please find another professor for this course.
I honestly loved Dr. Arthur. His wording can be difficult to understand but if you ask for clarification in class, he will always take the time. My biggest complaint was having to use Packback, which I felt did not supplement the course at all and was just more or less busy work.
Only take if it is required its so confusing. Nice guy but bad class. Exams are awful. Do not skip lab you will be so lost
It is a very confusing class, and his lectures are very boring and hard to pay attention to. The slides are very unclear at times, so you have to read the textbook which is the online tophat app, but the app has issues all the time and is expensive, so it is annoying you have to get it for the class. The labs help a lot, and he will help if you ask
Attendance isn't mandatory, but there are things done in class for a participation grade & bring your grade down if you don't attend. Tophat was required & expensive. Gives study guides b4 tests, but you probably won't pass test unless your really good at math. Good news is that tests don't bring your grade down lots.
Pray you have a good TA for this class. Lectures have random tophat questions that are a large grade but lectures are hard to follow and slides are vague. Tophat is required for homework but pricey and messes up half the time. Hardest exams in the department that are made to mess you up. Just take someone else if possible
The class in general is very hard but he tries to help in the best ways he can. Ask questions and go to lab hours but most people struggle on the exams.
Dr. Arthur teaches in an unorganized fashion, and his grading is pretty unclear. Most of his grades are based on quizzes and papers, and the quizzes include random information that he only mentions once. Additionally, he doesn't post the slides, so if you don't go to lecture or miss something while you're there, you are out of luck.
This was easily the worst class I've taken in college thus far. Multiple people (including me) went to office hours and the "advice" we got was basically "do better". TA was great and super sweet, but professor just didn't really know how to teach. Grading was pretty ridiculous and attendance is SUPER important. If you get the chance, switch profs.
I seriously do not think I have ever had a professor so disorganized. Dr. Arthur was constantly switching between different slide shows and never knew what he wanted to talk about. Although this class was only quizzes they were all very difficult and were very specific questions related to something that was talked about for 30 seconds in class.
Everyone is so dramatic. He's genuinely so nice, and if you go to class, you'll be just fine. His study guides are useful. He does not post lectures which sucks but he's truly not as bad as it seems. Just read the textbook and take notes in class, and you'll be alright. He's a bit quirky, but honestly, a pretty entertaining teacher.
Super nice guy but class felt VERY unorganized to me. Attendance is not mandatory. Lectures sometimes felt pointless and like i could have learned more from reading the textbook at home. Exams were easy if you put in a little effort and inquizitives help boost your grade as well. Overall not the worst class, but would not take again.
Dr. Arthur is very nice and thoughtful, however, his lectures are surface level and boring. There are in class assignments rarely for participation points, but lab attendance is required. His exams are decently difficult, he provides topic lists but its hard to study because he doesn't post slides. If you can, take the course with Dr. Friedrich.
I would definitely recommend this class. As long as you go to class regularly and pay attention in lectures you will do good in this class.
He is super unorganized and nothing in lecture makes sense. I was a psych major…. now I'm not. overall so so so disorganized I couldn't stand it. go to lab, only reason I passed.
Fantastic, well structured class. Super interesting group discussion. Go take on of professor Arthur's classes, you wont regret
The lectures aren't bad, and he does answer questions, but we barely get thru 1 chapter per class.The only homework is through Inquizitive, which is the online textbook homework. My main issue is when he posts the exam review documents to study, there is a ridiculous amount of material that we have barely covered or not covered in class at all.
I took him for PSY 315. Your grade is mostly based off midterm and final, but the study guide is not what is on the exam. Have a good understanding of what is happening and come to class though it is not required. Good talks in class, but do the readings before. if i could, I would take this class again and pay more attention because i enjoyed it.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
48%
Textbook Required
19%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.27 avg changeRatings by Course
PSY566
5.0
(2)MULTIPLECLASSES
4.0
(1)314
3.5
(2)PSY216
2.7
(33)PSY314
2.6
(17)Difficulty by Course
PSYCH215
5.0
PSY314
3.9
PSY216
3.8
PSY215
3.7
216
3.6