2.0
Quality4.4
DifficultyN/A
Would Retake88
ReviewsN/A
Would Retake
88
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
8
4
11
3
7
2
20
1
42
What Students Say
“MacKay is not a horrible professor, despite first impressions”
PSL302 - 3.0 rating“I think Mckay is an aquired taste”
PSL302 - 4.0 ratingClass Info
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A+
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.65 avg changeRatings by Course
PSY302
3.0
(1)PSL
3.0
(1)PSL300
2.7
(9)PSL302
2.1
(70)PSL302Y
1.2
(5)Difficulty by Course
PSL302Y
5.0
PSL301Y
5.0
PSY302
5.0
PSL
5.0
PSL300H
5.0
Reviews (88)
Not nice
One of the worst profs I've had.Very monotonous, does not explain concepts well.
He's a really awful prof....
argh!
The worst experience in life science
bad memories of psl 302
stop Strrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreetching your words!!
monotonous, no clarity
No Comments
even though neurophysiology is crazy hard!! he's really good.
No Comments
No Comments
No Comments
No Comments
Materials were not clearly explained in lectures. Not willing to answer question
Possibly the worst prof I've had so far....
No Comments
No Comments
No Comments
he hates undergrads with a passion (I've seen him make undergrads cry)
Neurophysiology should involve how his brain works
By far the worst professor I have ever had
the reason why life sci students are bitter.
Most difficult material in undergrad lifesci. He did as well as anyone could
No Comments
just try listening to him and not fall asleep, horrible prof!
super hard course.... super boring lectures...
stopped recording lectures, couldn't bear to listen to him twice...worst prof..
No Comments
Tests are unbelievably difficult, but lectures are organized (though boring).
interesting course made dull, thanks to Mac ow
that a prof this rotten should be teaching such a core course is a disgrace!
Boring course, boring profs...what else can i say!
No Comments
NOT FOR DUMMIES!!!
If you can't pay attention to his lectures, you shouldn't be in life. sci.
First U of T course where I was supposed to use my brain *no pun intended*.
No Comments
No Comments
No Comments
He made the course material about as interesting as watching paint dry.
No Comments
Don't forget your pillow for those long Con Hall lectures!
Utterly horible professor! Take PSL302 in the summer when he and the other horrible ones aren't teaching it. Very confusing and boring. Gets excited about weird things. One of worst teachers at U of T. Tough tests, he's not helpful at all!
No Comments
terrible notes
BOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGG!
Yay for pointless memorization!
He's a jerk, cocky and unreasonable. His testing is horrendous.
Mackay is a nice person. But he doesn't give a crap to students who dont' try to help themselves first. That's what I feel. He would joke in class too because he does have a sense of humor. Just remember, he's real smart, and he doesn't see why we cant b.
Monotone, boring, and suggested readings are truely useless (it's his own freaken textbook and you can HEAR his monotone reading the text). HORRIBLE!!!!!!
TOTALLY BORING! He reinvented monotonous! And he liked to test us on the most insignificant details. He's probably a brilliant man, but totally lacking public speaking skills
Bad. Just Bad.
MacKay wasn't as bad as I expected. Tests were fair contrary to what I was told. I actually found the material very interesting and the lectures helpful.
No Comments
His lectures aren't bad. However, his tests are a different story. My god, I can't believe I spent 5 sleepless nights to study for that. Tests are unfair and does not test you with the knowledge he gives in class. At this rate, he's gonna have to bell curve.
His tone is dry, slow, and is critized by most students. However I enjoyed his lectures because he delivers the "materials". What that means is, if you've given full efforts in class and afterclass, you're going to get a great result. His tests are straightforward and no tricks.
He is probably one of the most condescending professors I've met. I don't like his lecture notes and the neuro 101 book (written by him) that we have to use. If you don't have to any issues in the course I suppose he is around an avg. UT prof. But if there are problems he will make life difficult for you.
Horrible. Monotone lecturing style makes everyone sleepy. Rude when I talk to him after class. Not friendly.
he's a prof?!?!!?!
Best professor in PSL 300/1/2. He is stereotypically clear and his lecture notes are just the same. His test questions were absurdly straight-forward (providing extensive study--i.e. no tricks). Easy A+, IF YOU HAVE TIME TO STUDY, because there is a lot of material.
pretty good prof
No Comments
MacKay is a good professor, but his lecturing style takes getting used to. Overall, I found him to be very clear, and I found that he explained the material really well. I found his slides were well organized and his tests were fair. I liked his section the best out of all of PSL302.
Sure I've never heard someone speak so monotonously, but I don't go to lecture to be entertained, I go to be taught facts. His clear and organized lecture notes were amazing (esp compared to some sections that came later in the course), and Neuro101 might've been weird on its own, but as a complement to his lectures, it was pretty useful, actually
One of the worst profs at U of T. A terrible teacher.. poor communication skills... and a very poorly written book (neuro 101)
He was impossible to listen to during lectures! Too monotone... does not show any enthusism and with such difficult material as PSL302, we NEED some enthusiasm!
we was very monotone. i think he just came out of the crypt or something and never saw the light hahhaa. he looks very scary and robotic. i only wonder wat he does with his time when he's not teaching...maybe growing mushrooms in the darkness of his basement?
No Comments
better than the rest of teaching team, especially with bob cheung aka the worst prof in the world
Not the worst prof on the psl302 teaching team but certainly leaves more to be desired. You either love or hate his monotonous teaching style. Tests not hard if you do past tests and use his lecture notes - all answers to tests are directly taken off his slides.
MacKay is not a horrible professor, despite first impressions. Yes, he speaks with a monotone and tends to suddenly raise his voice and drop it immediately to an inaudible level; making him hard to follow. However, his lecture notes are very organised and his tests are fair to make up for the frustration earned from his presentations.
don't ever take his lecture course!!! boring :((
Worse prof ever. Very mean and condescending. Love physiology but he totally ruined it for me!
Simply Horrbile!!! The only team that can take the most interesting course and make it the worst!!! Simply uninspiring prof... poor grasp of communication skills, lecture skills, and making content relevant
All I have to say is ARROGANT!! He made a huge mistake with a set of test marks and didn't even apologize... the tests have nothing to do with lectures and the lectures lack organization and clarity... this course needs to be brought into the 21st century with less stress on memorizing usuless facts and more on problem based clnical learning
I think Mckay is an aquired taste. He knows his stuff reallyyyy well aka he's been teaching for a while. but he still gets excited and I gotta say when he does it really sparks up the class... he's different in many ways but we definitely don't get that kind of speech just anywhere. So yea I like this prof.
One of my favourite professors in physiology. His lectures are clear an easy to follow. Very nice person, if you talk to him. The fact that he loves what he teaches sparks interest in his students. His tests are reasonable, if you think that his lectures are boring/hard - neurophysiology is not for you; tests on subject as complicated as this can't
He's a wonderful prof, actually goes through and explains with detail what the meaning of each slide is and what the specific diagrams are. Doesn't read over the slides like most profs do in university. Tests are also pretty basic knowledge that you should get if you go to lecture and look over the slides. Fantastic overall.
Very knowledgeable prof - its obvious he's been teaching the material for some time. At first I didn't like him at all, but he grew on me. I'm guilty of occasionally falling asleep in class but considering it's not his job to teach us how to pay attention he is an excellent prof. tests are fair, no tricks, straight from lecture. just gotta study
Horrible. (I am not one of the people who did bad in his class). 1) Very unfamiliar + very specific terminology. 2) Chooses to focus on the less necessary aspects of neurophysiology (which excites him), but not the general/intro stuff. 3)unenthusiastic 4)cynical 5)home-made lecture slides (with missing nuclei, axons, etc.).. Mostly SELF-Studying.
One of the worst profs at the school. Completely turned me off physiology (one of my favorite courses prior to this experience) Completely ignored clinical physiology and instead focused on tiny details that were not interesting. His notes (yellow book) were messy, unclear, and lacked the foundation required for higher learning.
One of the worst and least helpful profs at ut. Monotone and boring lectures...cannot answer questions since he can't understand them.
He's my homeboy!!... very knowledgeable prof and the teaching style is perfect for 3rd year course. I recommend you to take this class!!...
The worst teacher ever!!! very boring lecture .....i feel depressing.
Greatest
Yes he's monotone but its Life Sciences. No one is there to really entertain you. His exams are fair game. Yes he does go into way too much tedious detail then we'll need to, but medschool is all about memory work. This is good prep. If you can't take the heat, stay out of the kitchen.
After having taught this course for years and having heard numerous times the criticism about speaking up in class so students can hear him and laying down the foundations before jumping to complexities, he still doesn't attempt to improve his lecturing style. If hundreds of students complain each year, think it's time for improvements.
Class Info
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A+
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.65 avg changeRatings by Course
PSY302
3.0
(1)PSL
3.0
(1)PSL300
2.7
(9)PSL302
2.1
(70)PSL302Y
1.2
(5)Difficulty by Course
PSL302Y
5.0
PSL301Y
5.0
PSY302
5.0
PSL
5.0
PSL300H
5.0